I have read that hydrogen (generated by microorganisms) can be used as fuel for automobiles but its overproduction and rough handling may prove toxic and even lethal.
What are the prospects in using hydrogen as fuel or biofuel? Would it be safe, non toxic and economical? What are the main parameters that need to be checked for its production and application?
PLASMA-BASED HYDROGEN GENERATION is a proprietary plasma-based system to be developed which will generate Hydrogen from sea water using less energy than electrolysis with no catalyst, exotic metals and not create any harmful waste materials. - See more at: http://www.planetforward.org/idea/plasma-based-hydrogen-generation-from-sea-water#sthash.FIZ9N7yg.dpuf
PLASMA-BASED HYDROGEN GENERATION is a proprietary plasma-based system to be developed which will generate Hydrogen from sea water using less energy than electrolysis with no catalyst, exotic metals and not create any harmful waste materials. - See more at: http://www.planetforward.org/idea/plasma-based-hydrogen-generation-from-sea-water#sthash.FIZ9N7yg.dpuf
Hydrogen is a fuel of the future because it has a excessive energy density, nearly 3 times that of petrol or diesel, and hence its use produces only H2O instead of greenhouse gases and other exhaust pollutants. Moreover, using petrol and diesel in combustion engines waste at least two thirds of the energy in the fuel, whereas hydrogen can be used in fuel cells, which are about twice as efficient, so much more of the fuel’s energy is put to good use and less fuel is needed.
Nevertheless, H2 is not an energy source but an energy carrier; it’s a useful way of carrying energy from renewable sources such as sun, wind and water to valuable applications such as a car. Many types of microbe can convert renewable energy sources into H2.
Biohydrogen is an example of an advanced biofuel (or third generation biofuel). In advanced biofuel technologies, microbes are grown in special bioreactors and provided with the energy and nutrients that they need including, sunlight, waste organic material, CO2 from the air or from conventional gas plants. As they grow the microbes produce the biofuel.
However there are some parameters/factors affecting biological hydrogen production as follows...
1) pH
2) Temperature
3) Hydrogen Partial Pressure
4) Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA)
5) Nutrients
6) Metal Ions
7) Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) etc.....
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