Producing Hydrogen!

Best process seems to involve extracting it from natural gas (methane). As a fuel for one lawnmower, I would probably set it up to run on gasoline.

The usual way to produce hydrogen is cracking amomonia (NH3) into hydrogen and nitrogen. Nitrogen being a neutral gas, it can be liberated in the atmosphere.

Patent to produce hydrogen

I think he's really wanting to build a hydrogen bomb.

By adding water to a aluminum-gallium alloy hydrogen is produced. The problem is where do you get the aluminum-gallium alloy. http://www.physorg.com/news98556080.html

Nothing a bacteria can't solve.

Why not? We've got bacteria in our oil & gas wells that are just great at producing hydrogen sulfide. Why not hydrogen gas as well.

Try reforming using a hydrocarbon fuel and steam in a catalytic reactor. The hydrocarbon and steam when mixed at proper conditions (pressure, temperature) in a catalytic reactor can to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The carbon dioxide is then scrubbed from the product stream leaving hydrogen gas.

On a large scale this is a proven process used to manufacture hydrogen in the production of anhydrous ammonia. Unfortunately this process does not reduce carbon generation.

Rap

One bacterium, two bacteria

contrex: You'll be there a long time if you are gonna count em.

Indeed. I think I'll weigh them instead.

hi!

A lawnmower running with hydrogen....

However, a not to difficult way of producing hydrogen is adding granulate of a metal to hydrochloric acid solution.

The metal you choose needs to have a negative normal potential.
I would suggest Zinc.

The metal will dissolve in the solution while hydrogen gas will occure.

Zn + 2HCl --> H2 + ZnCl2

If you really want to do that, please ask someone who has experience. It could be dangerous.

The methods above have some limitations. Cost of feedstock, energy requirements, low output. The best is the baterial preoduction of "town gas" in deep overpressured coal mines that are flooded with water. There are hundreds of these puppies in PA, Ohio, W Va Ky etc. Town gas is a bacterially produced metabolite that is rich in H2,CH3, and CO. It was burned in the turn of the century and the C provided the illumination.

Ive seen one where landfill gas reaction cells using the old HCl and metal , except that the landfill gas is mostly Carbonic acid and buffer compunds. (You wouldnt need to add a mercaptan so you could smell a leak) Hydrogen isnt any more dangerous than nat gas with the exception that youd have to add a smell agent for safety.

the easiest way (i am saying this by experiment), is by mixing vinigar with solid magnesium ( and acid would do the job but vinigar is quite common), as for the solid magnesium, its not that expensive

however, i don't recommend you bringing a flames near that gaseous dihydrogen or the result wouldn't be quite amusing ( again i'm saying this by experience )

I'll have to disagree, the explosive limits of hydrogen (4 to 98 % by volume) are far wider than natural gas. Containment of hydrogen gas, because of the smaller size and mass* of the molecule, is much more difficult. In most bulk industrial applications with hydrogen, it is best to generate it in the quantities used or burn off the surplus in a flare tower. Storage is difficult as you tend to end up with the Hindenberg effect.

* mass has a signigficant effect on effusivity---the kinetic energy of a volume of hydrogen and methane at an equivalent temperature is the same--since kinetic energy is 1/2mv^2, the effusivity of hydrogen as per Boltzmann is 2*sqrt(2) times the effusivity of methane. When you combine this with size (1s2 vs 2sp3 orbital dynamics) and a wider explosive limits-hydrogen distribution and storage is an order of magnitude dicier than storage and distribution of natural gas.

Rap

ok then we go as a hydride.

I was going to mention metal hydrides, as they do show promise for a safer storage of hydrogen. However, the most efficient hydrides are alkaline and alkaline metal based, which tend to be a 'little' reactive when mixed with moisture.

Rap

I found this one on the relative safety of H2 v Ch3 fires in test carsKABOOM

That's one of the reasons I wouldn't own a house that has an attached garage---somehow knowing that there is a molotov cocktail (or two) in my families sleeping quarters doesn't strike me as sane.

Granted hydrogen can be handled with some degree of safety, but would you want to be sleeping under either the bomb or the torch demonstrated in that link.

Rap

uh, Im gonna say bomb. My garage is all full of crap, and my wife wants me toclean it out.