Hydrogen from Ethanol

Engineers at the University of Minnesota have successfully developed a reactor that efficiently produces hydrogen from ethanol.

Hydrogen from Ethanol

You can pretty much get hydrogen out of any hydrocarbon.

I don't understand why someone would go through all the trouble to make ethanol then use it to make hydrogen? Ethanol is a great fuel on it's own, cheap to make, powerful, etc.
Water, being mostly hydrogen, seems like a better source. Two thirds of each molecule of water is hydrogen. That's where my money is going....

Originally posted by Beer_Guy
I don't understand why someone would go through all the trouble to make ethanol then use it to make hydrogen? Ethanol is a great fuel on it's own, cheap to make, powerful, etc.
Water, being mostly hydrogen, seems like a better source. Two thirds of each molecule of water is hydrogen. That's where my money is going....

No, 11% of a water molecule is hydrogen. Oxygen is the other 89% (duh)... although, my calculation could be off if the hydrogen is an isotope called Deuterium, but that's only in "Heavy Water"... and tritium. But that doesn't matter.

When you're actually calculating how much of a water molecule is Hydrogen you have to state whether you are talking about atomic ratios or volume, mass or size proportions or your calculations are useless.

Oh and deutirium isnt in tritium ... tritium is an even heavier isotope of hydrogen than deutirium with 3 protons.

[edit on 5/8/06 by gfad]