Where does hydrogen come from?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and can be found in water, fossil fuels and other sources. It bonds with other elements to form commonly known molecules such as water, methane (natural gas) and methanol. Hydrogen is produced by unlocking the chemical bonds in these molecules that form these substances. The water molecule, for example (H20), consists of two hydrogen atoms bonded to an oxygen atom. One way to produce hydrogen is to use energy to break water apart through a process called electrolysis. In this process, electricity and a catalyst combine to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water. Another approach is to liberate the hydrogen by “reforming” fuels such as gasoline or natural gas.
