Properties of Hydrogen As a Fuel
Hydrogen has historically been used as a rocket fuel, along with oxygen, because hydrocarbons can't burn in space. Since the 1990s, hydrogen has been considered as a car fuel, perhaps even produced by hydrolysis with home solar panels.
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Flammability
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Hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water. The reaction releases a great deal of energy, but no more than it takes to separate them.
Burns Without Air
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Rockets can burn hydrogen fuel in space because oxygen is taken along as well. The oxygen can be pure or combined into oxidants (reactive oxygen compounds) to reduce its pressure requirement.
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Pollution
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Hydrogen as a fuel is not pollution-free. A total of 95 percent of the hydrogen produced in the United States as of 2009 comes from steam methane reforming, which produces large amounts of carbon dioxide. Electrolysis, which produces hydrogen using electricity, is not as efficient. Furthermore, 65 percent of U.S. electric power comes from fossil fuel.
Hydrogen Leakage
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A June 2003 report in Science Magazine pointed out that leakage from using hydrogen as a fuel source could degrade the ozone layer faster than chlorofluorocarbons.
Car Fuel
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Some cars use hydrogen as a fuel, taking advantage of its portability. However, high compression is required to carry enough fuel for the distances drivers generally expect of their autos, raising costs beyond most driver's budgets.
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