Hydrogen Fuel. Production

In the 19th century, the advent of the steam engine led to remarkable development in transport and industry. This steam, capable of directly supplying mechanical energy but which does not exist as such in nature – has to be produced by heating water – was the first energy vector. At the end of the same century, the internal combustion engine and electricity accelerated the pace of development. The former enabled mechanical energy to be obtained from the combustion of liquid fuels derived from naturally occurring petroleum. The latter, based on the properties of the constituents of matter, was a new energy vector with almost infinite possibilities, whose most advanced and promising extensions we are now familiar with through electronics, digital technology and their applications. In the 20th century, there was no human activity that wasn't turned upside down by the impact of these two technical revolutions. The world entered the "industrial age" and the "civilization of the automobile", both of which were responsible for profound economic and social transformations. But to fuel the extraordinary development that followed, we needed – and still need – more and more energy, which is why our planet's resources have been exploited without limit: coal, oil, natural gas, hydropower and energy from the fission of nuclear fuels. Today, we can measure the consequences of this excess: the risk of depleting fossil resources, the accumulation of nuclear waste, air pollution threatening public health and the additional greenhouse effect contributing to global warming. And yet, this energy-hungry trend continues, fuelling permanent growth that goes hand in hand with the emergence of developing countries and the increase in the world's population. Compared to 1970, energy requirements will have doubled by 2022 and could triple by the end of the 21st century. To resolve this contradiction between the growing need for energy, the depletion of fossil fuels, the additional greenhouse effect and pollution, several solutions are possible at the same time:

• reduce energy consumption through "rational use" actions;

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution by using appropriate fuels;

• continue to use nuclear energy while awaiting the completion of fusion, which, given current advances, seems on the way to being mastered;

• use so-called renewable energies: wind, solar, hydraulic, biomass, geothermal ;

• use hydrogen, a clean, storable energy carrier.

Hydrogen is a highly energetic, non-toxic gas that produces heat by direct combustion, with water as the residue when burned in the presence of pure oxygen, and nitrogen oxides...