How to Convert Water to Fuel

Hydrolysis is the electrical process of separating hydrogen and oxygen gas from liquid water. By this electrochemical reaction, oxygen and hydrogen gases can be created for use as fuels. Specifically, they bubble off of separate submerged electrodes attached to opposite sides of the same electrical source. Oxygen gas can be ignited on its own with, say, a match. Hydrogen gas burns spontaneously upon combination with oxygen gas.

Things You'll Need

• A few D-size batteries
• Two lengths of copper wire
• Two electrodes (plate or rod)
• Bucket
• Two small beakers
• Lemon juice or vinegar

Instructions

1. Pour a little lemon juice into a bucket of water. Acids and bases conduct electricity better than a neutral pH.

2. Attach a wire and electrode to each end of a pile of batteries. In other words, for a horizontal row of batteries with the + and - ends in contact, use, say, electrical tape to hold a wire in contact with the front end of the batteries, and to attach the other wire to the other end of the batteries.

3. Submerge the electrodes in the pail of water, spaced apart from each other. Bubbles will start to come off of the electrodes immediately if all the electrical connections have been made.

4. Submerge two small beakers right side up so they are filled with water. Then turn them upside down, still underwater. Position them to catch the bubbles, which will displace the water inside the beakers.

5. Ignite the two by combining them. This can be done underwater or above water; it doesn't matter. If underwater, just hold one beaker lower than the other, and tip it so the gas rises toward the other beaker. Above water, the hydrogen should be the lower beaker, since it rises faster in air than oxygen. Or just ignite the oxygen with a match (above water, of course). There will be a sudden pop, so be prepared not to drop the beaker.

Tips & Warnings

• Hydrogen gas bubbles up from the electrode connected to the negative end of the battery stack. Oxygen forms at the other.

• Note that the efficiency of this process is low, about 70 percent. Because of this inefficiency, most mass-production of hydrogen gas is from natural gas, not water.

References

• Raymond Chang; Chemistry; 1984
• Freedom Fuel: Climbing Mount Improbable
• UNLV: Methane Steam Reforming (Comparative Efficiencies)