What are the methods of hydrogen production and the principles of water electrolysis for hydrogen production
At present, in order to obtain hydrogen in industrial production, the following methods are usually used:
One: Pass water vapor through hot iron to obtain hydrogen. The purity of hydrogen obtained in this way will be relatively high, with a purity of about 97%.
Two: Hydrogen is extracted from water gas. The purity of hydrogen obtained by this method is also quite low. Therefore, few people use this method to obtain hydrogen and produce hydrogen by electrolysis of water. Electrolytic hydrogen production equipment is currently the most widely used method in industry, and it is also a method with high purity. The purity can reach more than 99%, which is an important method for industrial hydrogen production. During the electrolysis of sodium (potassium) hydroxide solution, gas is released on the anode and hydrogen gas is released on the cathode. Hydrogen gas can also be obtained by electrolyzing an aqueous sodium chloride solution to produce sodium hydroxide.
Three: Pass steam through hot coke to get hydrogen, but the hydrogen obtained this way is usually only 75% pure.
Electrolytic hydrogen production equipment and methods have relatively high requirements for the hydrogen and purity of the cooling generator, so they are all produced by the method of electrolysis of water.
The principle of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water
The principle of water electrolysis for hydrogen production is very simple, that is, the water is decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen by electricity. is the water as the solvent, and the original electrolyte remains in the water. For example, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, etc. belong to this type of electrolyte.
When electrolyzing water, pure water is a typical weak electrolyte due to its small ionization degree and low conductivity. Therefore, the aforementioned electrolyte needs to be added to increase the conductivity of the solution, so that water can be smoothly electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen.