Possible Methods for Hydrogen Production

Abstract Hydrogen is a promising renewable fuel for transportation and domestic applications. Hence, in both the near term and long term, hydrogen demand is expected to increase significantly. Producing hydrogen, as well as any other synthetic fuel, will inevitably cost more energy than pumping up oil or using other fossil fuels. In this work, a review is made of the alternative technological methods that could be used to produce this fuel. Hydrogen can be generated in a number of ways, such as electrochemical processes, thermochemical processes, photochemical processes, photocatalytic processes, or photoelectrochemical processes. The thermal production process, which uses steam to produce hydrogen from natural gas or other light hydrocarbons, is most common. Steam reforming of natural gas is currently the least expensive method of producing hydrogen and is used for about half of the world's production of hydrogen. Approximately 95% of the hydrogen produced today comes from carbonaceous raw material, primarily fossil in origin.