hydrogen extraction

Try reading this guy's article.

CNCdoc takes me back to high school chemistry -good reference!!

its electrolysis of water. this reaction can only takes place in acidic medium.

I'll make a note of that and email Mr. Gray (A columnist for Popular Science Magazine) that he left that part out.

Where is your web site describing electrolysis of water?

When you check it, make sure you add: Salts, acids and bases are added to the water as a water soluable electrolyte to improve conductivity as they break down into positive and negative ions that carry the electrical current.

Some are better than others at producing hydrogen. Sulfuric acid is one. Salt is one.

Not all acids will produce the desired results and some can produce unwanted results.

THERE IS A PROCESS INVOLVING STARCH WATER, AN ENZYME AND A MEMBRANE SEPARATOR. I BELIEVE YOU CAN CATCH IT OFF VIRGINIA TECH SITE AND ALSO ONE OF CAILFORNIA'S STATE SCHOOL. I'M GETTING PRELIMINARY INFO FROM MY YOUNGEST SON WHO IS DOING RESEARCH WITH THE WIFE OF ONE OF THE DEVELOPERS.IF YOU PROVIDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS I WILL FORWARD THE LINK AS THEY COME FROM MY SON. THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART IS THE MEMBRANE WHICH I BELIEVE IS ONLY MANUFACTURED IN GB. THE PRESENT PRIMARY SOURCE IS NATURAL GAS WHICH I'M SURE YOU WILL AGREE WILL MAKE IT VERY IMPRACTICAL UNLESS THE METHANE IS MANUFACTURED FROM WASTE PRODUCTS BUT THIS WOULD ALSO BECOME A SALABLE COMMODITY.

I HOPE YOU ARE USING IT AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOURCE BECAUSE I'M CONVINCED THAT ALT FUEL IS THE KEY TO SOLVING OUR PRESENT ECO, POL AND SECURITY CONCERNS.

judithcallison@yahoo.com

Here is a part of an article referring to VA Tech's work:

".........The key enabler, Zhang said, is a proprietary blend of 13 organic enzymes not found combined in nature, but which were discovered by Zhang and his colleagues. The team has applied for a provisional patent covering the process.

The only drawback reported so far by the researchers is that the process releases carbon dioxide. That's because they used C₆H₁₀O₅—a polysaccharide. Plants store energy in polysaccharides and release their stored energy using naturally-occurring enzymes. The researchers main task was to design an enzyme blend that could break up sugar-water into CO₂ and hydrogen at a fast enough rate to power a car-sized fuel cell.

A membrane was used in the laboratory to bleed off CO₂ while hydrogen was used to feed a fuel cell, which coverted it into electricity to drive motors. The starch-water conversion reaction takes place at normal atmospheric pressure at 86 degrees F.

The researchers next plan to try out their technique on small fuel cells for cellphones before integrating it with polymer electrolyte membrane cells for testing in vehicles. They hope to increase the efficiency of their process while lowering the enzyme blend cost."

The key word there is proprietary. The mixture of enzymes and the process is not for the public domain as they are seeking a provisional patent for it. (That helps...)

So in answer to the thread starter's query pertaining to best and most practical, VA Tech may prove to be both some day (albeit gratuitously so) but not today. I would be surprised and delighted if they shared any information with any other than their colleagues. Watch the movie "The Saint" with Val Kilmer, it's a variation of a theme, but can you imagine how The big (and small) oil companies (who always seem to be lacking fundage -NOT!) feel about someone cutting in on their action? I'm sure they (Va Tech)will keep their research locked up.

How would you like to be part of the scientific team that discovers the solution to energy problems for the next century? You would probably feel good and be quite popular! Unfortunately pride, the desire for prominence and the quest for "riches", have always been an enemy of scientific progress, whereas war, drags it kicking and screaming to levels thought impossible. Sometimes, it progresses where it wouldn't have gone without war.

Kind of ironic isn't it?

An easy way to do it is by electrolysis. You can collect the hydrogen gas produced in a water-filled test tube or other container placed directly above the cathode (the negatively-charged terminal).

Bench top experiments usually involve the electrolysis of mildly acidic materials.

My salt water pool uses this process for chlorine generation. The only chemicals I have to purchase is dry acid to re acidify the pH. I haven't tried to light the bubbles however.