| Hydrogen
is the most plentiful element on Earth and is found in combination
with oxygen in water, and in organic matter including living
plants, petroleum, coal, natural gas and other hydrocarbon
compounds. The great attraction of hydrogen is that, once
isolated, it is a clean burning fuel that produces neither
carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) nor toxic emissions and
can be used for electricity production, transportation,
and other energy needs.
Many
see
a movement
to
a hydrogen
economy
as
the
long-run
solution
to
the
environmental
and
security
problems
associated
with
fossil
fuels.
However,
before
hydrogen
can
be
used
as
fuel
it
must
first
be
extracted
from
hydrogen-bearing
compounds
either
through
electrolysis
or
high
temperature
reformation
of
organic
compounds
like
coal.
Many
of
the
extraction
processes
can
create
substantial
pollution
and
so
for
hydrogen
to
be
truly
pollution
free
the
extraction
process
must
be
pollution
free.
If
the
problems
of
extracting
hydrogen
can
be
solved
in
a pollution
free,
cost
effective
manner
and
if
technologies
such
as
fuel
cells
can
be
made
cost
effective,
then
hydrogen
has
the
potential
to
provide
clean,
alternative
energy
for
a number
of
uses,
including
lighting,
heating,
cooling,
and
transportation.
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