Hydrogen H is the simplest member of the family of chemical elements. It has an atomic number of 1 and is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula H₂. It is colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, and highly combustible.

Hydrogen is easily the most abundant element in the Universe. It is found in the sun and most of the stars, even planet Jupiter is composed mostly of hydrogen. On Earth, natural hydrogen alone cannot be found, hydrogen is found in the greatest quantities as water.

So, how do we Produce Hydrogen?

Although abundant on earth as an element, hydrogen is almost always found as part of another compound, such as Water (H2O) or Methane (CH4), and it must be separated into pure hydrogen (H2) for use as a fuel.

Here are the 4 most known methods to Produce Hydrogen

1. Natural Gas Reforming/Gasification: By reacting Natural gas with high-temperature steam, we get what is called Synthesis gas (Mixture of Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide). This method is the cheapest, most efficient, and most common.

   Synthesis gas can also be produced by reacting Coal or Biomass with high-temperature steam in a pressurized gasifier and this process called Gasification.

2. Electrolysis: Here an Electric current is used to split water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Know Power to Hydrogen projects are taking off when there is available excess Electricity.

3. Liquid Fuels Reforming: Liquid fuels, such as Ethanol, are reacted with high-temperature steam to produce hydrogen near the point of end use.

4. Fermentation: This is when Biomass is converted into sugar-rich feedstocks that can be fermented to produce hydrogen.

More to come on Hydrogen so stay tuned :)