Producing hydrogen from aluminum. A new technology has been found for producing hydrogen from water using aluminum. Producing hydrogen from aluminum and copper sulfate

While the whole world is developing fuel cells and talking about the hydrogen energy of the future, skeptics never tire of repeating that humanity still does not have a cheap way to produce hydrogen. The modern method of production is the electrolysis of water, but to implement it on a global scale will require a lot of electricity.

Humanity places its main hopes on the thermonuclear fusion project, which should open up an inexhaustible source of energy for people, but no one has yet undertaken to predict the date of the first tokamak going into operation. In addition, scientists are trying to adapt bacteria to produce hydrogen from food and industrial waste, and are also trying imitate the process of photosynthesis, which separates water into hydrogen and oxygen in plants. All these methods are still very far from industrial implementation.

American scientists seem to have learned to produce hydrogen in large quantities by reacting aluminum with water.

Developers at Purdue University have created a new metal alloy enriched with aluminum that could be very effective in the process of producing hydrogen. The use of this alloy, among other things, is economically justified, and this method may soon compete with modern types of fuel used in the transport and energy industries.

How speaks Jerry Woodall, a university professor and the initiator of the work, his innovation could find application in all areas - from mobile devices for generating energy to large industrial installations.

The new alloy consists of 95% aluminum, and the remaining 5% from a complex alloy of gallium, indium and tin. Although gallium is a very rare and expensive element, its quantities in the alloy are so small that the cost of the alloy, and especially the cost of its operation, can be commercially profitable.
When this alloy is added to water, aluminum undergoes an oxidation reaction, as a result of which hydrogen and thermal energy are released, and aluminum is converted into oxide form.
2Al + 3H 2 O --> 3H 2 + Al 2 O 3 + Q

From school course In chemistry, everyone should know that aluminum is an extremely active metal and easily reacts with water, releasing hydrogen during its own oxidation. However, the use of aluminum in everyday life, and especially as utensils for cooking, is absolutely safe, since on the surface of aluminum there is always a thin, but very durable and inert oxide film Al 2 O 3, which causes aluminum to react with water not so easy.

The indium-gallium-tin alloy is a critical component for Woodall's technology: it prevents the formation of this oxide film and allows the aluminum to quantitatively react with water.

In addition to hydrogen, thermal energy is also a valuable product of the reaction, which can also be used. Aluminum oxide and a more inert alloy of gallium, indium and tin can subsequently be reduced in a known industrial process, so a closed cycle can reduce the cost of energy generation, in domestic terms, to less than 2 rubles per kilowatt-hour.

The merit of chemist-technologists is that they were not only able to do the titanic work of selecting the chemical composition of the aluminum alloy, but also learned to control its microstructure, which is the key to the functionalization of the material.

The fact is that a mixture of metals, when solidified, does not form a homogeneous solid solution due to differences in the structure of the crystal lattices of the metals; in addition, the resulting alloy has a rather low melting point. As a result, the final alloy is formed upon cooling from the melt in the form of a mixture of two independent phases - aluminum and an alloy of gallium, indium and tin, embedded in the thickness of the material in the form of microscopic crystallites.

It is this two-phase composition that determines the ability of aluminum in a given alloy to react with water under normal conditions, and therefore is critical for the entire technology.

Moreover, as it turned out, this material can be obtained in two different forms depending on the method of cooling the molten mixture of metals. Apparently, during rapid cooling (quenching), the crystal structure of the solution does not have time to rearrange itself, as a result of which the sample at the exit turns out to be almost single-phase. Woodall's alloy in this form does not react with water until it is wetted with a molten mixture of gallium, indium and tin.

However, having discovered the ability of such a wetted material to react with water under normal conditions, scientists were pretty inspired and after some time discovered the ability of a melt enriched in aluminum to crystallize upon slow cooling in a two-phase form. Such a material is capable of reacting with water without the participation of a liquid alloy of gallium, indium and tin. Scientists believe that the determining factor in preventing the formation of an oxide film on the surface of a material is the microstructure of the materials at the interface between the two phases that form the material.

At the moment, scientists are concerned with the technological task of briquetting their alloy to improve the ease of use. Thus, a block of aluminum alloy can be placed in a reactor, the dimensions of which are determined by the required amount of hydrogen, and produce exactly as much hydrogen as is needed at the place and time when it is needed. Such a technology, when brought to its logical conclusion, will solve two more pressing problems of hydrogen energy (in addition to the actual production of hydrogen from water), namely, hydrogen storage and its transportation.
The alloy of indium, gallium and tin is an inert component and does not participate in the reaction, so after the end of the reaction it can be reused with virtually no losses.

Aluminum oxide is also a very convenient substance for carrying out its electrochemical reduction in accordance with the Hall-Heroult process, which is widely used in the aluminum industry at present:
2Al 2 O 3 + 3C = 4Al + 3CO 2
According to scientists, the recovery of aluminum from the oxide obtained during the production of hydrogen is even cheaper than its standard production from bauxite, although the full cycle from aluminum to aluminum is, of course, expensive - scientists did not intend to create a perpetual motion machine.

In principle, to implement Woodall’s technology, which has not yet been described in scientific publications, no new innovations are required - it is only necessary to establish an infrastructure for delivering the alloy to the end user and organize the process of its recovery using well-developed industrial methods for producing aluminum metal.

Aluminum is the most abundant metal on Earth. In addition, a by-product of the development of bauxite ores, minerals containing aluminum, is gallium, the most valuable component of Woodall's alloy.

The scientist himself, who was awarded the highest award in the field of technology in the United States in the past, notes, along with problems of a purely economic nature, the need to conduct additional experiments on the influence of the composition and, in particular, the microstructure at the interface of the phases in a new material on its properties. Such work may well make it possible in the future to switch to the use of cheaper and more accessible metals than gallium.

The rise in energy prices stimulates the search for more efficient ones, including at the household level. Most of all, craftsmen and enthusiasts are attracted by hydrogen, whose calorific value is three times higher than that of methane (38.8 kW versus 13.8 per 1 kg of substance). The method of extraction at home seems to be known - splitting water by electrolysis. In reality the problem is much more complex. Our article has 2 goals:

analyze the question of how to make a hydrogen generator at minimal cost;
Consider the possibility of using a hydrogen generator for heating a private home, refueling a car, and as a welding machine.

Brief theoretical part

Hydrogen, also known as hydrogen, the first element of the periodic table, is the lightest gaseous substance with high chemical activity. During oxidation (that is, combustion), it releases a huge amount of heat, forming ordinary water. Let us characterize the properties of the element, formatting them in the form of theses:

For reference. Scientists who first separated the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen called the mixture explosive gas because of its tendency to explode. Subsequently, it received the name Brown's gas (after the name of the inventor) and began to be designated by the hypothetical formula NHO.

Previously, airship cylinders were filled with hydrogen, which often exploded

From the above, the following conclusion suggests itself: 2 hydrogen atoms easily combine with 1 oxygen atom, but they part very reluctantly. Chemical reaction oxidation proceeds with the direct release of thermal energy in accordance with the formula:

2H 2 + O 2 → 2H 2 O + Q (energy)

Here lies important point, which will be useful to us in further debriefing: hydrogen reacts spontaneously from combustion, and heat is released directly. To split a water molecule, energy will have to be expended:

2H 2 O → 2H 2 + O 2 - Q

This is the formula for an electrolytic reaction that characterizes the process of splitting water by supplying electricity. How to implement this in practice and make a hydrogen generator with your own hands, we will consider further.

Creation of a prototype

So that you understand what you are dealing with, first we suggest assembling a simple generator for producing hydrogen at minimal cost. The design of a homemade installation is shown in the diagram.

What does a primitive electrolyzer consist of:

reactor - a glass or plastic container with thick walls;
metal electrodes immersed in a reactor with water and connected to a power source;
the second tank plays the role of a water seal;
tubes for removing HHO gas.

Important point. The electrolytic hydrogen plant operates on direct current only. Therefore, use an AC adapter, car charger or battery as a power source. An AC generator will not work.

The operating principle of the electrolyzer is as follows:

To make the generator design shown in the diagram with your own hands, you will need 2 glass bottles with wide necks and caps, a medical dropper and 2 dozen self-tapping screws. The full set of materials is shown in the photo.

Special tools will require a glue gun to seal plastic lids. The manufacturing procedure is simple:

To start the hydrogen generator, pour salted water into the reactor and turn on the power source. The beginning of the reaction will be marked by the appearance of gas bubbles in both containers. Adjust the voltage to the optimum value and ignite the Brown gas coming out of the dropper needle.

Second important point. It is impossible to apply too high a voltage - the electrolyte, heated to 65 ° C or more, will begin to evaporate intensively. Due to the large amount of water vapor, it will not be possible to light the burner. For details on assembling and launching an improvised hydrogen generator, watch the video:

About the Meyer hydrogen cell

If you have made and tested the design described above, then you probably noticed from the burning of the flame at the end of the needle that the performance of the installation is extremely low. To get more detonating gas, you need to make a more serious device, called the Stanley Meyer cell in honor of the inventor.

The principle of operation of the cell is also based on electrolysis, only the anode and cathode are made in the form of tubes inserted into one another. Voltage is supplied from the pulse generator through two resonant coils, which reduces current consumption and increases the productivity of the hydrogen generator. The electronic circuit of the device is shown in the figure:

Note. The operation of the circuit is described in detail on the resource http://www.meanders.ru/meiers8.shtml.

To make a Meyer cell you will need:

a cylindrical body made of plastic or plexiglass; craftsmen often use a water filter with a lid and pipes;
stainless steel tubes with a diameter of 15 and 20 mm, a length of 97 mm;
wires, insulators.

Stainless steel tubes are attached to a dielectric base, and wires connected to the generator are soldered to them. The cell consists of 9 or 11 tubes placed in a plastic or plexiglass case, as shown in the photo.

A ready-made plastic housing from a conventional water filter can be adapted for the Meyer cell

The elements are connected according to a scheme well known on the Internet, which includes an electronic unit, a Meyer cell and a water seal (technical name - bubbler). For safety reasons, the system is equipped with critical pressure and water level sensors. According to reviews from home craftsmen, such a hydrogen installation consumes a current of about 1 ampere at a voltage of 12 V and has sufficient performance, although exact figures are not available.

Schematic diagram turning on the electrolyzer

Plate reactor

A high-performance hydrogen generator capable of ensuring the operation of a gas burner is made of stainless steel plates measuring 15 x 10 cm, quantity - from 30 to 70 pieces. Holes are drilled in them for the tightening pins, and a terminal for connecting the wire is cut out in the corner.

In addition to sheet stainless steel grade 316, you will need to buy:

rubber 4 mm thick, resistant to alkali;
end plates made of plexiglass or PCB;
tie rods M10-14;
check valve for gas welding machine;
water filter for water seal;
connecting pipes made of corrugated stainless steel;
potassium hydroxide in powder form.

The plates must be assembled into a single block, isolated from each other with rubber gaskets with a cut out middle, as shown in the drawing. Tie the resulting reactor tightly with pins and connect it to the pipes with the electrolyte. The latter comes from a separate container equipped with a lid and shut-off valves.

Note. We tell you how to make a flow-type (dry) electrolyzer. It is easier to make a reactor with submersible plates - there is no need to install rubber gaskets, and the assembled unit is lowered into a sealed container with electrolyte.

Scheme of a wet type hydrogen plant

The subsequent assembly of the generator producing hydrogen is carried out according to the same scheme, but with differences:

A reservoir for preparing electrolyte is attached to the body of the device. The latter is a 7-15% solution of potassium hydroxide in water.
Instead of water, a so-called deoxidizing agent is poured into the “bubbler” - acetone or an inorganic solvent.
A check valve must be installed in front of the burner, otherwise when the hydrogen burner is turned off smoothly, the backlash will rupture the hoses and the bubbler.

To power the reactor, the easiest way is to use a welding inverter; there is no need to assemble electronic circuits. How a homemade Brown gas generator works is explained by a home craftsman in his video:

Is it profitable to produce hydrogen at home?

Reply to this question depends on the scope of application of the oxygen-hydrogen mixture. All drawings and diagrams published by various Internet resources are designed for the release of HHO gas for the following purposes:

use hydrogen as fuel for cars;
smokeless combustion of hydrogen in heating boilers and furnaces;
used for gas welding work.

The main problem that negates all the advantages of hydrogen fuel: the cost of electricity to produce pure substance exceed the amount of energy obtained from its combustion. Whatever adherents of utopian theories may claim, the maximum efficiency of the electrolyzer reaches 50%. This means that for 1 kW of heat received, 2 kW of electricity is consumed. The benefit is zero, even negative.

Let's remember what we wrote in the first section. Hydrogen is a very active element and reacts with oxygen on its own, releasing a lot of heat. When trying to split a stable water molecule, we cannot apply energy directly to the atoms. The splitting is carried out by electricity, half of which is dissipated to heat the electrodes, water, transformer windings, and so on.

Important background information. The specific heat of combustion of hydrogen is three times higher than that of methane, but by mass. If we compare them by volume, then when burning 1 m³ of hydrogen, only 3.6 kW of thermal energy will be released versus 11 kW for methane. After all, hydrogen is the lightest chemical element.

Now let's consider detonating gas obtained by electrolysis in a homemade hydrogen generator as fuel for the above needs:

For reference. To burn hydrogen in a heating boiler, you will have to thoroughly redesign the design, since a hydrogen burner can melt any steel.

Conclusion

The hydrogen contained in NHO gas, obtained from a homemade hydrogen generator, is useful for two purposes: experiments and gas welding. Even if we ignore the low efficiency of the electrolyser and the costs of its assembly along with the electricity consumed, there is simply not enough productivity to heat the building. This also applies to the gasoline engine of a passenger car.

Electrolysis of water is the oldest method of producing hydrogen. By passing a direct current through water, hydrogen accumulates at the cathode, and oxygen at the anode. Producing hydrogen by electrolysis is a very energy-intensive production, therefore it is used exclusively in those areas where this gas is quite valuable and necessary.

Producing hydrogen at home is a fairly easy process and there are several ways to do it:

1. We will need an alkali solution; do not be alarmed by these names because... all this is freely available.

For example, the “mole” pipe cleaner is perfect in composition. Pour a little alkali into the flask and add 100 ml of water;

Mix thoroughly to completely dissolve the crystals;

Add a few small pieces of aluminum;

We wait about 3-5 minutes until the reaction occurs as quickly as possible;

Add an additional few pieces of aluminum and 10-20 grams of alkali;

We close the tank with a special flask with a tube that leads into the gas collection tank and wait a few minutes until the air comes out of the vessel under hydrogen pressure.

2. Release of hydrogen from aluminum, table salt and copper sulfate.

Pour copper sulfate and a little more salt into the flask;

Dilute everything with water and mix well;

We place the flask in a tank of water, since the reaction will release a lot of heat;

Otherwise, everything needs to be done the same as in the first method.

3. Producing hydrogen from water by passing a 12V current through a solution of salt in water. This is the easiest method and most suitable for home use. The only disadvantage of this method is that relatively little hydrogen is released.

So. Now you know how to get hydrogen from water and more. There are so many experiments you can do. Remember to follow safety rules to avoid injury.

Producing hydrogen at home

Method 1.

The alkali solution used is caustic potassium or caustic soda. The hydrogen released is purer than when acids react with active metals.

We seal the flask, using a test tube with a tube leading the vessel to collect gas. We wait about 3-5 minutes. until hydrogen displaces air from the vessel.

2Al + 2NaOH + 6h3O → 2Na + 3h3

Method 2.

Pour some copper sulfate and salt into the flask. Add water and stir until completely dissolved. The solution should turn green; if this does not happen, add a small amount of salt.

Method 3.

Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + h3

Method 4.

We pass an electric current through a solution of water and boiled salt. During the reaction, hydrogen and oxygen will be released.

Producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. But it didn’t go further than experiments with a battery and a pair of electrodes. I wanted to make a full-fledged device for producing hydrogen, in quantities to inflate a balloon. Before making a full-fledged device for electrolysis of water at home, I decided to test everything on the model.

This model is not suitable for full daily use. But we managed to test the idea. So for the electrodes I decided to use graphite. An excellent source of graphite for electrodes is trolleybus current collector. There are plenty of them lying around at the final stops. It must be remembered that one of the electrodes will be destroyed.

We saw and finalize it with a file. The intensity of electrolysis depends on the current strength and the area of the electrodes. Wires are attached to the electrodes. The wires must be carefully insulated. Plastic bottles are quite suitable for the body of the electrolyser model. Holes are made in the lid for tubes and wires. Everything is carefully coated with sealant.

To connect two containers, cut off bottle necks are suitable. They need to be joined together and the seam melted. Nuts are made from bottle caps. Holes are made in the bottom of two bottles. Everything is connected and carefully filled with sealant.

We will use a 220V household network as a voltage source. I want to warn you that this is a rather dangerous toy. So, if you do not have sufficient skills or have doubts, then it is better not to repeat it. In the household network we have alternating current; for electrolysis it must be rectified. A diode bridge is perfect for this. The one in the photo turned out to be not powerful enough and quickly burned out. The best option was the Chinese MB156 diode bridge in an aluminum housing.

The diode bridge gets very hot. Active cooling will be required. A cooler for a computer processor is perfect. You can use a suitable size junction box for the housing. Sold in electrical goods.

Several layers of cardboard must be placed under the diode bridge. The necessary holes are made in the cover of the junction box. This is what the assembled installation looks like. The electrolyzer is powered from the mains, the fan from a universal power source. A baking soda solution is used as an electrolyte. Here you need to remember that the higher the concentration of the solution, the higher the reaction rate. But at the same time the heating is higher. Moreover, the decomposition reaction of sodium at the cathode will contribute to heating. This reaction is exothermic. As a result, hydrogen and sodium hydroxide will be formed.

The device in the photo above got very hot. I had to turn it off periodically and wait until it cooled down. The heating problem was partially solved by cooling the electrolyte. For this I used a tabletop fountain pump. A long tube runs from one bottle to another through a pump and a bucket of cold water.

It is good to provide the place where the tube is connected to the ball with a tap. Sold in pet stores in the aquarium section.

Basic knowledge of classical electrolysis.

The principle of efficiency of an electrolyzer for producing h3 and O2 gas.

Surely everyone knows that if you dip two nails in a solution of baking soda and apply plus to one nail and minus to the other, then Hydrogen will be released at the minus, and Oxygen at the plus.

Now our task is to find an approach to get as much of this gas as possible and spend minimum quantity electricity.

Lesson 1. Tension

Water decomposition begins when a little more than 1.8 volts is applied to the electrodes. If you apply 1 volt, then practically no current flows and no gas is released, but when the voltage approaches 1.8 volts, the current begins to rise sharply. This is called the minimum electrode potential at which electrolysis begins. Therefore, if we supply 12 volts to these 2 nails, then such an electrolyzer will consume a lot of electricity, but there will be little gas.
The energy will go into heating the electrolyte.

For that. In order for our electrolyzer to be economical, we need to supply no more than 2 volts per cell. Therefore, if we have 12 volts, we divide them into 6 cells and get 2 volts on each.

Now let’s simplify it - just divide the capacity into 6 parts with plates - the result will be 6 cells connected in series; each cell will have 2 volts; each internal plate on one side will be a plus, and on the other - a minus. So - lesson number 1 learned = apply low voltage.

Now the 2nd lesson of economy: Distance between plates

The greater the distance, the greater the resistance, the more current we will spend to produce a liter of gas. The shorter the distance, the less we will spend Watt per Hour per Liter of gas. Further, I will use this very term - an indicator of the efficiency of the electrolyser / From the graph it is clear that the closer the plates are to each other, the less voltage is required to pass the same current. And as you know, the gas yield is directly proportional to the amount of current passing through the electrolyte.

Multiplying a lower voltage by a current, we get fewer watts for the same amount of gas.

Now the 3rd lesson. Plate area

If we take 2 nails and, using the first two rules, place them close and apply 2 volts to them, then we will get very little gas, since they will pass very little current. Let's try to take two plates under the same conditions. Now the amount of current and gas will be increased in direct proportion to the area of these plates.

Now 4th lesson: Electrolyte concentration

Using the first 3 rules, let's take large iron plates at a small distance from each other and apply 2 volts to them. And put them in some water, adding one pinch of soda. Electrolysis will proceed, but very sluggishly, the water will heat up. There will be a lot of ions in the solution, the resistance will be small, the heating will decrease and the amount of gas will increase

Sources: 505sovetov.ru, all-he.ru, zabatsay.ru, xn—-dtbbgbt6ann0jm3a.xn--p1ai, domashnih-usloviyah.ru

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Everyone knows from school that hydrogen occupies the very first place in the periodic table and is designated by the symbol H. But, despite this knowledge, few people have heard that obtaining hydrogen from water can be done without any problems at home. In addition, it is worth noting the fact that today this chemical element is actively used as automobile fuel, since it does not enter into the atmosphere during combustion. environment. By the way, hydrogen is produced industrially using the reaction of water vapor with heated carbon (coke), electrolysis of a sodium chloride solution, etc. In short, there are a huge number of ways in which a substance can be obtained in laboratory conditions. But, using the methods described below, you can conduct an experiment on producing hydrogen at home. But in this case, do not forget about caution when working with flammable substances.

Initially, you should make sure that you have everything you need on hand for chemical experiment. First, you need to make sure that the hydrogen collection tube is completely intact (even the smallest crack can ruin the whole process). In addition, before conducting an experiment with a smoldering splinter, it is recommended to wrap the test tube with thick cloth as a precaution. After the preparatory process, you can safely move on to practice and, taking the flask in your hands, fill it a little with water. Next, a piece of calcium is placed in the water, and the container is immediately tightly sealed with a stopper. The “elbow” of the tube, which is curved and passes through the stopper, should be in a container of water (“hydraulic seal”), and the ends of the tube should protrude slightly from the water. The protruding end must be very quickly covered with a test tube turned upside down. As a result, this test tube will have to be filled with hydrogen (the edge of the test tube is kept in water).

As soon as the reaction in the flask is completely completed, the test tube must be immediately closed with a very tight stopper, which is held upside down, which will help prevent the evaporation of lighter hydrogen. By the way, it is best to do this while continuing to keep its edge under water. But in order to check the presence of hydrogen, you need to pull out the stopper, and then bring a smoldering splinter to the edge of the test tube. As a result, a specific bang should be heard. It would be useful to remind you that calcium, compared to alkali metals, although less active, is also dangerous, so you still need to work with it carefully. It is recommended to store it in a glass container under a film of liquid paraffin or kerosene. The element should be removed immediately before the experiment itself using long tweezers. Also, if possible, it is best to get rubber gloves!

You can also get hydrogen from water at home in the following very simple way: complex method. Initially, water is filled into a 1.5 liter plastic bottle. Then caustic potassium (about 15 grams) or caustic salt is dissolved in this water. Next, the bottle needs to be placed in a pan, into which water is first filled. Now you need to take a 40 centimeter aluminum wire and cut it into pieces, the length of which should be 5 centimeters. The cut wire is thrown into the bottle, and a pre-prepared rubber ball is placed on its neck. The hydrogen that is released during the reaction between aluminum and alkali will collect in the rubber ball. Since this reaction is carried out with the active release of heat, you must definitely follow safety rules and act carefully!

And finally, hydrogen is obtained from water using ordinary table salt. To do this, pour salt in the amount of five large spoons into a glass container with a narrow neck and stir well. After that, a copper wire is taken and inserted into the syringe from the piston side. This area must be well sealed with glue. Next, the syringe is lowered into a container with saline solution and gradually filled. The copper wire must be connected to the negative terminal of the 12 Volt battery. As a result of the electrolysis reaction, hydrogen will begin to be released near the wiring, which is displaced from the syringe by the saline solution. As soon as the copper wire stops contacting the salt water, the reaction is complete. This is how you can use quite simple methods independently obtain hydrogen from water. By the way, when using any of the methods, you must remember that hydrogen becomes explosive when mixed with oxygen!

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How to get hydrogen: methods

Steam reforming of methane and natural gas: water vapor at high temperature (700 – 1000 degrees Celsius) is mixed with methane under pressure, in the presence of a catalyst.
Coal gasification: one of the oldest methods for producing hydrogen. Without air access, at a temperature of 800 - 1300 degrees Celsius, coal is heated along with water vapor, while coal displaces oxygen from water. The output is carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
Electrolysis of water: a very simple way to produce hydrogen. A soda solution is poured into the container, into which 2 electrical elements are placed, one corresponding to the minus - the cathode, the other to the plus - the anode. Electricity is supplied to this solution, which breaks the water into its components - hydrogen is released at the cathode, and oxygen at the anode.
Pyrolysis: decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen without access of air and at high temperature.
Partial oxidation: an alloy of aluminum and gallium metals is formed into special briquettes, which are placed in a container with water; as a result of a chemical reaction, hydrogen and aluminum oxide are formed. Gallium is used in the alloy to prevent aluminum from oxidizing.
Biotechnology: back in the 20th century, it was discovered that if Chlamydomonas algae do not have enough oxygen and sulfur during their life, they will rapidly begin to release hydrogen.
Deep gas of the planet: in the depths of the earth, hydrogen can be found in pure gaseous form, but its production from there is not advisable.

How to get hydrogen from water

Most in a simple way producing hydrogen from water is electrolysis. Electrolysis is a chemical process in which an electrolyte solution, under the influence of an electric current, is divided into its component parts, that is, in our case, water is divided into hydrogen and oxygen. To do this, a solution of soda in water and two elements are used - a cathode and an anode, on which gases will be released. Voltage is applied to the elements, oxygen is released at the anode, and hydrogen is released at the cathode.

How to make hydrogen at home

The reagents used are quite simple - vitriol (copper), table salt, aluminum and water. Aluminum can be taken from beer cans, but first it must be burned to get rid of the plastic film that interferes with the reaction.

Then a vitriol solution is prepared separately, and a salt solution, a blue vitriol solution, is mixed with the salt solution, resulting in a green solution. Then we throw a piece of aluminum foil into this green solution, bubbles appear around it - this is hydrogen. We also notice that the foil is covered with a red coating; this is aluminum displacing copper from the solution. In order to collect hydrogen for personal purposes, use a bottle with a stopper, into which a narrow tube has been inserted in advance, through which the gas will escape.

Now, pay attention! Precautions. Since hydrogen is an explosive gas, experiments with it must be carried out outdoors, and secondly, the reaction to produce hydrogen takes place with a large release of heat, the solution can splash and simply burn you.

How to make hydrogen peroxide

In the laboratory, hydrogen peroxide is produced using the reaction: BaO 2 + H 2 SO 4 = BaSO 4 + H 2 O 2.
On an industrial scale, it is produced by electrolysis of sulfuric acid, during which persulfuric acid is formed, which is ultimately decomposed into sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide.
How else to obtain hydrogen in the laboratory: Hydrogen is often obtained in the laboratory by the interaction of zinc and hydrochloric acid: Zn + 2HCl = H 2 + ZnCl 2.

I hope you got the information you needed from this article, and once again I warn you - be careful with any experiments and experiments with hydrogen!

elhow.ru

This article describes the most popular ways to produce cheap hydrogen at home.

Method 1. Hydrogen from aluminum and alkali.

The alkali solution used is caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) or caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, sold in stores as a “Mole” pipe cleaner). The hydrogen released is purer than when acids react with active metals.

Pour a small amount of caustic potassium or soda into the flask and add 50-100 ml of water, stir the solution until the crystals are completely dissolved. Next we add a few pieces of aluminum. A reaction will immediately begin with the release of hydrogen and heat, weak at first, but constantly intensifying.
After waiting until the reaction occurs more actively, carefully add another 10 g. alkali and a few pieces of aluminum. This will greatly enhance the process.
We seal the flask, using a test tube with a tube leading the vessel to collect gas. We wait about 3-5 minutes until the hydrogen displaces the air from the vessel.

How is hydrogen formed? The oxide film that covers the surface of aluminum is destroyed upon contact with alkali. Since aluminum is an active metal, it begins to react with water, dissolving in it, and hydrogen is released.

2Al + 2NaOH + 6H2O → 2Na + 3H2

Method 2. Hydrogen from aluminum, copper sulfate and table salt.

Pour a little copper sulfate (copper sulfate, sold at any garden store) and salt (a little more salt) into the flask. Add water and stir until completely dissolved. The solution should turn green; if this does not happen, add a small amount of salt.
The flask must be placed in a cup filled with cold water, because During the reaction, a large amount of heat will be released.
Add a few pieces of aluminum to the solution. The reaction will begin.

How does hydrogen release occur? In the process, copper chloride is formed, which washes away the oxide film from the metal. Simultaneously with the reduction of copper, gas formation occurs.

Method 3. Hydrogen from zinc and hydrochloric acid.

Place pieces of zinc in a test tube and fill them with hydrochloric acid.
Being an active metal, zinc interacts with acid and displaces hydrogen from it.

Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + H2

Method 4. Hydrogen production by electrolysis.

We pass an electric current (12V) through a solution of water and boiled salt. During the reaction, hydrogen (at the anode) and oxygen (at the cathode) will be released.

When producing hydrogen and subsequent experiments, follow safety precautions.

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Brief theoretical part

For reference. Scientists who first separated the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen called the mixture explosive gas because of its tendency to explode. Subsequently, it received the name Brown's gas (after the name of the inventor) and began to be designated by the hypothetical formula NHO.

From the above, the following conclusion suggests itself: 2 hydrogen atoms easily combine with 1 oxygen atom, but they part very reluctantly. The chemical oxidation reaction proceeds with the direct release of thermal energy in accordance with the formula:

2H 2 + O 2 → 2H 2 O + Q (energy)

Here lies an important point that will be useful to us in further debriefing: hydrogen reacts spontaneously from combustion, and heat is released directly. To split a water molecule, energy will have to be expended:

2H 2 O → 2H 2 + O 2 - Q

Creation of a prototype

So that you understand what you are dealing with, first we suggest assembling a simple generator for producing hydrogen at minimal cost. The design of a homemade installation is shown in the diagram.

What does a primitive electrolyzer consist of:

reactor - a glass or plastic container with thick walls;
metal electrodes immersed in a reactor with water and connected to a power source;
the second tank plays the role of a water seal;
tubes for removing HHO gas.

Important point. The electrolytic hydrogen plant operates on direct current only. Therefore, use an AC adapter, car charger or battery as a power source. An AC generator will not work.

The operating principle of the electrolyzer is as follows:

Special tools will require a glue gun to seal plastic lids. The manufacturing procedure is simple:

Second important point. It is impossible to apply too high a voltage - the electrolyte, heated to 65 ° C or more, will begin to evaporate intensively. Due to the large amount of water vapor, it will not be possible to light the burner. For details on assembling and launching an improvised hydrogen generator, watch the video:

About the Meyer hydrogen cell

Note. The operation of the circuit is described in detail on the resource http://www.meanders.ru/meiers8.shtml.

To make a Meyer cell you will need:

a cylindrical body made of plastic or plexiglass; craftsmen often use a water filter with a lid and pipes;
stainless steel tubes with a diameter of 15 and 20 mm, a length of 97 mm;
wires, insulators.

Plate reactor

In addition to sheet stainless steel grade 316, you will need to buy:

rubber 4 mm thick, resistant to alkali;
end plates made of plexiglass or PCB;
tie rods M10-14;
check valve for gas welding machine;
water filter for water seal;
connecting pipes made of corrugated stainless steel;
potassium hydroxide in powder form.

Note. We tell you how to make a flow-type (dry) electrolyzer. It is easier to make a reactor with submersible plates - there is no need to install rubber gaskets, and the assembled unit is lowered into a sealed container with electrolyte.

The subsequent assembly of the generator producing hydrogen is carried out according to the same scheme, but with differences:

A reservoir for preparing electrolyte is attached to the body of the device. The latter is a 7-15% solution of potassium hydroxide in water.
Instead of water, a so-called deoxidizing agent is poured into the “bubbler” - acetone or an inorganic solvent.
A check valve must be installed in front of the burner, otherwise when the hydrogen burner is turned off smoothly, the backlash will rupture the hoses and the bubbler.

Is it profitable to produce hydrogen at home?

The answer to this question depends on the scope of application of the oxygen-hydrogen mixture. All drawings and diagrams published by various Internet resources are designed for the release of HHO gas for the following purposes:

use hydrogen as fuel for cars;
smokeless combustion of hydrogen in heating boilers and furnaces;
used for gas welding work.

The main problem that negates all the advantages of hydrogen fuel: the cost of electricity to release the pure substance exceeds the amount of energy obtained from its combustion. Whatever adherents of utopian theories may claim, the maximum efficiency of the electrolyzer reaches 50%. This means that for 1 kW of heat received, 2 kW of electricity is consumed. The benefit is zero, even negative.

Let's remember what we wrote in the first section. Hydrogen is a very active element and reacts with oxygen on its own, releasing a lot of heat. When trying to split a stable water molecule, we cannot apply energy directly to the atoms. The splitting is carried out using electricity, half of which is dissipated to heat the electrodes, water, transformer windings, and so on.

Important background information. The specific heat of combustion of hydrogen is three times higher than that of methane, but by mass. If we compare them by volume, then when burning 1 m³ of hydrogen, only 3.6 kW of thermal energy will be released versus 11 kW for methane. After all, hydrogen is the lightest chemical element.

Now let's consider detonating gas obtained by electrolysis in a homemade hydrogen generator as fuel for the above needs:

For reference. To burn hydrogen in a heating boiler, you will have to thoroughly redesign the design, since a hydrogen burner can melt any steel.

Conclusion

The hydrogen contained in NHO gas, obtained from a homemade generator, is useful for two purposes: experiments and gas welding. Even if we ignore the low efficiency of the electrolyser and the costs of its assembly along with the electricity consumed, there is simply not enough productivity to heat the building. This also applies to the gasoline engine of a passenger car.

The method is quite simple and can give you hydrogen quite quickly.
We take an ingot of aluminum, put a ball of mercury on it, the same one that is used in ordinary thermometers. We take a sharp object, for example a knife, and scratch the aluminum with it right under the ball of mercury, that is, insert the tip of the knife into the mercury and scratch the aluminum ingot under it, after this operation we get an amalgam under the ball of mercury, that is, an alloy of mercury with aluminum when we scratch aluminum, then we tear off the protective layer of aluminum oxide from it.

Under normal conditions, in the open air, aluminum is immediately covered with a thin, but very durable oxide film; this film prevents further oxidation of aluminum. But when we covered aluminum with mercury and scratched the aluminum underneath, we peeled off the film and allowed the mercury to create an alloy with aluminum, that is, the mercury immediately penetrates into crystal lattice aluminum Now the most important thing. The oxide film prevents oxidation, but in the place where we made the amalgam, there the aluminum will be quite actively oxidized by atmospheric oxygen with the formation of white powder, this will continue until the entire aluminum ingot is oxidized. If you put such an ingot in water, it will very actively oxidize there too, displacing hydrogen from the water. the reaction in water proceeds so violently that an explosion occurs.

To avoid an explosion and to be able to control the output of the amount of hydrogen, you can not put the ingot in water, but blow water vapor past such an ingot, which will oxidize to hydrogen, that is, aluminum will take oxygen away from the steam, and hydrogen will be a by-product that You can easily use it as fuel for cars.
Aluminum can be mined everywhere, in landfills, in garbage dumps, you can even open an illegal receiving point, in any case, with all the costs, this method will more than pay off, it will be the cheapest and easiest to obtain fuel.

Imagine that you have some kind of sealed tank on your car, which you can open and throw in an aluminum fork, spoon or pan or a bunch of aluminum wires. Naturally, you should first buy a thermometer and apply mercury from it to the aluminum in the above-mentioned way. For convenience, you can melt aluminum trash and cast compact blanks from it, then create at least a small point of amalgam on the ingot, and then cover this place with putty or tape, or simply put it in a plastic bag and tie it tightly so that there is no oxidation reaction. You can then throw these blanks into a hermetically sealed tank, then supply steam there and get pure hydrogen at the output, which will power your car. the method is explosion-safe, since the amount of hydrogen released depends on the amount of steam supplied. Such a “reactor” can be located directly in front of the chamber where hydrogen will be injected, so that the released hydrogen is immediately used without forming large explosive accumulations.
This method is quite possible.
Who doesn't believe, read school textbook chemistry.

Active metal. It is stable in air, and at normal temperatures it quickly oxidizes, becoming covered with a dense film of oxide, which protects the metal from further destruction.

Interaction of aluminum with other substances

Under normal conditions, it does not interact with water even at a boil. When the protective oxide film is removed, aluminum enters into vigorous interaction with air water vapor, turning into a loose mass of aluminum hydroxide with the release of hydrogen and heat. Reaction equation:

2Al + 6H₂O = 2Al(OH)₃ + 3H₂

Aluminum hydroxide

If you remove the protective oxide film from aluminum, the metal enters active interaction With . In this case, the aluminum powder burns, forming an oxide. Reaction equation:

4Al + 3O₂ = 2Al₂O₃

This metal also actively interacts with many acids. When reacting with hydrochloric acid, the evolution of hydrogen is observed:

2Al + 6HCl = 2AlCl₃ + 3H₂

Under normal conditions, concentrated nitric acid does not interact with aluminum, since being a strong oxidizing agent, it makes the oxide film even stronger. For this reason, nitric acid is stored and transported in aluminum containers.

Transportation of acids

Aluminum is passivated at ordinary temperatures with dilute nitric and concentrated sulfuric acids. The metal dissolves in hot sulfuric acid:

2Al + 4H₂SO4 = Al₂(SO4)₃ + S + 4H₂O

Interaction with non-metals

Aluminum reacts with halogens, sulfur, nitrogen, and all non-metals. For the reaction to occur, heating is necessary, after which the interaction occurs with the release of a large amount of heat.

Interaction of aluminum with hydrogen

Aluminum does not react directly with hydrogen, although a solid polymer compound is known Alan, in which there are so-called three-center connections. At temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius, alan irreversibly decomposes into simple substances. Aluminum hydride reacts violently with water.

Aluminum does not react directly with hydrogen: the metal forms compounds by losing electrons, which are accepted by other elements. Hydrogen atoms do not accept the electrons that metals donate to form compounds. Only very reactive metals (potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium) can “force” hydrogen atoms to accept electrons to form solid ionic compounds (hydrides). Direct synthesis of aluminum hydride from hydrogen and aluminum requires enormous pressure (about 2 billion atmospheres) and temperatures above 800 K. you can learn about chemical properties other metals.

It should be noted that this is the only gas that noticeably dissolves in aluminum and its alloys. The solubility of hydrogen varies proportionally to temperature and square root from pressure. The solubility of hydrogen in liquid aluminum is significantly higher than in solid aluminum. This property varies slightly depending on the chemical composition of the alloys.

Aluminum and its hydrogen porosity

Aluminum foam

The formation of hydrogen bubbles in aluminum directly depends on the rate of cooling and solidification, as well as on the presence of nucleation centers for the release of hydrogen - oxides trapped inside the melt. For the formation of aluminum porosity, a significant excess of dissolved hydrogen content is necessary compared to the solubility of hydrogen in solid aluminum. In the absence of nucleation centers, the evolution of hydrogen requires a relatively high concentration of the substance.

The location of hydrogen in solidified aluminum depends on the level of its content in liquid aluminum and the conditions under which solidification occurred. Since hydrogen porosity is the result of diffusion-controlled nucleation and growth mechanisms, processes such as a decrease in hydrogen concentration and an increase in solidification rate suppress pore nucleation and growth. Because of this, split die castings are more susceptible to hydrogen-related defects than injection molded castings.

There are different sources of hydrogen entering aluminum.

Charge materials(scrap, ingots, foundry return, oxides, sand and lubricants used in machining). These pollutants are potential sources of hydrogen produced during the chemical decomposition of water vapor or the reduction of organic matter.

Melting tools. Scrapers, peaks, and shovels are a source of hydrogen. Oxides and flux residues on tools absorb moisture from the surrounding air. Furnace refractories, distribution channels, sampling buckets, lime troughs and cement mortars are potential sources of hydrogen.

Furnace atmosphere. If the melting furnace operates on fuel oil or natural gas, incomplete combustion of the fuel may result in the formation of free hydrogen.

Fluxes(hygroscopic salts, ready to instantly absorb water). For this reason, wet flux inevitably introduces hydrogen into the melt, formed during the chemical decomposition of water.

Casting molds. During the filling of the mold, liquid aluminum flows turbulently and entrains air into the internal volume. If the air does not have time to leave the mold before the aluminum begins to solidify, the water line will penetrate into the metal.

Producing hydrogen from aluminum. A new technology has been found for producing hydrogen from water using aluminum. Producing hydrogen from aluminum and copper sulfate

Brief theoretical part

Creation of a prototype

About the Meyer hydrogen cell

Plate reactor

Is it profitable to produce hydrogen at home?

Conclusion

Producing hydrogen at home

Producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water.

Basic knowledge of classical electrolysis.

Lesson 1. Tension

Now the 2nd lesson of economy: Distance between plates

Now the 3rd lesson. Plate area

Now 4th lesson: Electrolyte concentration

Snyatyn – from past to present

Magic bird

Elves and Fairies: a story about a guy who served the fairies. Part 1

Magic Island of Eternal Youth

Princess Alvilda

Runic alphabet of the ancient Slavs

The struggle for Italian independence - the beginning

What is landscape design

How to get hydrogen: methods

How to get hydrogen from water

How to make hydrogen at home

How to make hydrogen peroxide

Brief theoretical part

Creation of a prototype

About the Meyer hydrogen cell

Plate reactor

Is it profitable to produce hydrogen at home?

Conclusion

Interaction of aluminum with other substances

Interaction with non-metals

Interaction of aluminum with hydrogen

Aluminum and its hydrogen porosity