Hydrogen Gas

Hydrogen gas is one of the most ample sources of gas on our Earth and it has recently been researched more for its potential as an alternative gas source.  As gas prices continue to soar and there being no hope in the future of them coming back down, many people are scrambling to find a better, more efficient gas alternative.  This has led many to explore the use of this gas and recent success has made many people and industries begin using hydrogen gas.  But what exactly is hydrogen?

Hydrogen is our simplest of chemicals, as it holds the number one spot on our Periodic Table.  Hydrogen is extremely abundant and is found in almost everything including air, water, light, plants and animals.  It is often combined with other chemicals, with its most common combination with oxygen making water.  This chemical is vital to our world and without it we would not be able to survive.  We have found the technology that allows us to take hydrogen found in liquids like water or ammonia and transfer it into hydrogen gas.

What is Hydrogen Gas

Hydrogen gas is colourless, odourless and tasteless and is lighter than our air.  Because it is lighter than air it floats up higher than our atmosphere.  This means that hydrogen gas is not found naturally in our atmosphere, so in order to use it for our benefit we must separate it from its other elements and collect it in vapour form.  There are two different methods that are used to help cause this separation of chemicals and allow for this gas to form.  They are steam and electrolysis but due to the damaging effects on the environment caused by the steam method, electrolysis is more commonly used.

Electrolysis is done by taking a liquid, usually water and separating the chemicals found in the liquid.  With water the hydrogen and oxygen are separated, causing two bonded hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom to be formed.  The hydrogen atoms form a gas that is captured and stored in a holding tank until the gas is ready to be used.  The oxygen atom is released into the air since there is no further use for it.

Benefits of Hydrogen Gas

The hydrogen gas that is produced leaves no damaging effects on the environment which makes the use of this gas a popular choice.  The biggest benefit seen by this gas is the use of it as an automobile fuel.  It is said to help you save money at the pump by reducing the amount of gasoline that you need.  This gas is known to burn much more efficiently allowing you to travel with a better gas mileage while at the same time giving your vehicle more power behind it.

As the use of hydrogen gas increases, as most experts believe it will, the more products will be available using this powerful source of alternative gas.  The fact that this gas is environmentally safe and relatively cheap to run due to the low cost of water, the future for this gas looks promising.  The number of people who are currently experiencing reduced rates at the gas pump because they use hydrogen gas also shows that this gas is becoming a popular alternative.