What are the industrial application of mass produced hydrogen and oxygen?

Assume if somebody invents a magic catalyst which help reduce the cost of
breaking down water
into H2 and O2 by 50%. Where are the currently tappable destination for
these two gases? How
does the hydrogen plant seperate the two gases?

Thanks.

Dear Sea Squid:

"Sea Squid" <[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote in message
news:421a99cc$[Only registered users see links. ].sg...

Oxygen is used in hospitals, chemical processes, and spacecraft.
Hydrogen is used in chemical process, spacecraft, and horribly expensive
alternative fuel vehicles.


They strip hydrogen from hydrocarbons. A whole lot cheaper than breaking
down water.
URL:[Only registered users see links. ]
URL:[Only registered users see links. ]

There is research and a number of patents into other methods: bacteria, and
catalytically-based methods.

David A. Smith

"Sea Squid" <[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote in message
news:421a99cc$[Only registered users see links. ].sg...

Electrolysis will separate the elements from the molecule.
By placing electrodes in the water, gas bubbles form at the
electrodes and will rise to the surface, where they can be collected.
The catalyst is sodium chloride (common table salt).
It will not reduce the cost, the energy out is equal to the energy in.
Androcles.

"Sea Squid" <[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote in message
news:421a99cc$[Only registered users see links. ].sg...

There was an interesting article in one of the science mags last year. It
discussed what we should use Hydrogen for _first_ if it suddenly became
cheap and easily available. I recall they said we should use it to for heat
and power in our houses NOT in our cars. I think they reached this
conclusion after looking at the total impact each source of energy has on
the environment after all factors are considered.

"Rich Grise" <richgrise@example.net> wrote in message
newsan.2005.02.22.07.57.58.725178@example.net...

So it is a catalyst.



A better catalyst.

Too true, but "Sea Squid" wanted "a magic catalyst" which helps "reduce
the cost" of breaking down water into H2 and O2 by 50%, which betrays a
teenage underlying lack of knowledge of economics, chemistry and
physics, so it seemed appropriate that he could conduct a safe
experiment in his mother's kitchen using some AA cells without spilling
battery acid
on the floor or work surfaces, and his question was how to collect the
gas. I gave him the same answer I'd give to my own grandson.



Have a nice day, Rich. It's his mother that will be coming after YOU
when her wedding band is sawn in two and the place stinks from a
mix of H2SO4 and oven cleaner instead of some spilled salty water.
Androcles.

"N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc)" <N: dlzc1 D:cox T:[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote in
message news:i0xSd.78221$Yu.15786@fed1read01...
cost of
destination for
expensive
breaking
bacteria, and

There is also a gang in Canada who claim to be working on a method of
dissociating water using solar energy to drive a catalytic process,
but we have not heard much from them for a while.

--
Franz
"The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis
by an ugly fact."
T.H. Huxley

Dear Franz Heymann:

"Franz Heymann" <[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote in message
news:cvfh49$ll6$[Only registered users see links. ]...
....

But it's winter! They may not have seen the sun in a while... ;>)

David A. Smith

N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc) wrote:

And when we do see it, it's rarely more than about 30 degrees
above the horizon.

Catalytic process be damned. The problem with dissociating
water to get H2 and O2 is simply the energy you have to put
into the stupid thing. If we had the energy available to make
scads of H2 out of water, we'd not have problems with energy.
Socks

Dear Puppet_Sock:

"Puppet_Sock" <[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1109088679.319620.244090@c13g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...

Agreed. If it were 100% efficient, or even 60+% efficient, wouldn't it
still be a preferable method of storing energy? Batteries are not terribly
efficient, and capacitors have similar issues (either very large, or just
batteries in disguise).

David A. Smith

Sea Squid wrote:
cost of
for

The big news draw if we had a ready source of hydrogen would be fuel
cell cars.
[Only registered users see links. ]


By supplying energy to dissociate water. Actually, the best technology
for electrolysis turns out to be nuclear power plants. Europe has a
much higher fraction of energy supplied by nuclear power than does the
US, and China is on a path to quickly surpass the US in capacity, as
well. Despite Chernobyl and 3-Mile Island, nuclear power plants are
beginning to re-emerge in power planning in the US.

A catalyst that reduced the energy threshold by 50% AND could produce
in quantity AND did not cost more than the energy cost saved, would be
a boon worth tens of billions of dollars.

PD