At present, the majority of commercially produced hydrogen is obtained through the reforming of natural gas with steam. This indicates that fossil fuels remain part of the equation, which significantly tarnishes the reputation of hydrogen as a fuel source.
Although extracting hydrogen from water is an option, this method is quite energy-demanding and has not reached commercial viability yet.
Gerardine Botte from Ohio University proposes a potential solution. Rather than separating hydrogen from its strong bond in water, her research demonstrates that extracting hydrogen from urine, whether it be synthetic urea or genuine human urine, requires considerably less energy.
Urine is the most prevalent waste on Earth, so there is certainly an abundant supply available, and Botte claims that this technology can be rapidly and efficiently scaled up to both produce hydrogen and assist in the cleanup of sewage treatment facilities.
To us, this seems like a win-win situation.
