HYDROGEN GAS AS FUEL

The problems facing the world today is the problem of air pollution due to the use of fuel and fuel mineral crisis (petroleum). As we know that the ability of countries in the world to provide fuel progressively decreases and at some point will reach its peak, as almost all areas containing oil have been discovered and explored. While the demand for fuel continues to rise sharply, so that the world's oil reserves are running low.

Along with the expensive and limited petroleum and greenhouse effects are globalized, the use of alternative energy that are environmentally friendly and simple is needed. One of them is a hydrogen energy. Hydrogen is one of the important chemical substances, simplest, and most widely in nature, which is consumed by the world reached 50 million tons / year. The energy possessed by hydrogen can be converted into electrical energy with the help of a device called a fuel cell. The most important part in the fuel cell is two layers of electrodes and electrolyte.

Hydrogen bound in organic matter and water makes up 70% of the earth's surface. Hydrogen gas is a gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless in normal environmental conditions. The reason for hydrogen gas is used as fuel because hydrogen has a molecular weight that is light and has a high energy content.

Hydrogen gas can be obtained from the reaction of a hydrocarbon reformer at this time is obtained from large plants. Hydrogen gas can also be obtained from methanol after decomposed into carbon dioxide and hydrogen, then the CO gas is oxidized to CO₂ and water. Hydrogen gas has difficulty to be stored and transport due to small molecule making it difficult for liquefied and flammable.

Another way to produce hydrogen is by electrolysis. Electrolysis can separate the element of water (H and O) with the provision of electric current to the water. The addition of electrolytes such as salt can increase water conductivity and improve process efficiency. Payload break the chemical bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen, creating charged particles called ions. Ions are formed on two poles: an anode, a positively charged and a negatively charged cathode. Hydrogen is collected at the cathode and oxygen at the anode. A voltage of 1,24 volts needed to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in pure water at 77 °F. The voltage will increase or decrease depending on changes in temperature and pressure.

Motor vehicles can use hydrogen as a fuel. Burning hydrogen creates air pollution that is more environmentally friendly than gasoline or diesel. Hydrogen also has a higher burning speeds, flammable, blasting high temperatures, and requires little energy to burn than gasoline alone. This means that hydrogen burns faster, but it is quite dangerous. Hydrogen as a vehicle fuel has the advantages of higher energy, the vehicle engine is not noisy, and produces exhaust (H₂O) that are environmentally friendly.