How can a person build a machine to split water into H2 and O2, Then store each separately.
Ignoring the details for a moment, the simplest way to split water into molecular hydrogen and oxygen is electrolysis. Placing electrodes (which must be selected reasonably carefully such that they are chemically inert — or at least sufficiently inert that you don’t end up producing substances other than the ones you expect) into pure water (pure in the sense that it doesn’t contain any significant ionic impurities; if it does there’s a good chance that these will be produced instead of hydrogen or oxygen) and running a direct current between the two will lead to hydrogen being emitted at the cathode (negative electrode) and oxygen at the anode (positive electrode). The mechanism for this is reasonably straightforward to understand. Water contains, in addition to H2O contains ionic hydrogen and ionic oxygen (individual atoms with additional or insufficient electrons). Hydrogen ions have a positive charge; oxygen ions have a negative charge. Consequently hydrogen ions are attracted to
You can split water, but the process, electrolysis, is only about 30% efficient. So two thirds of the electrical energy you put into electrolysis is wasted as heat. You might as well use THAT heat to heat up your house and water directly! And yes, you could pipe the O2 into your fish pond, but fish have been doing very well for millions of years with the O2 from the air. If you must do electrolysis, you need a DC power supply, which is easy, just a bridge rectifier hooked to the ac line, and a tub of water, and two electrodes, which must be of a very inert metal, usually platinum. Oh, and a way to capture the hydrogen and O2. Did I mention that Hydrogen is very difficult to store and tends to explode if the pipes or storage tanks are the teensiest bit dirty, rusty, or contaminated? Better check with your local zoning board and your home insurance agent first. And Hydrogen very quickly makes iron and steel very brittle. You’ll need tanks of beryllium-rhenium alloy, glass coated on the i
