Hydrogen As A Fuel Source

Author: Levi Quinn

With the introduction of such things as the air car or biodiesel, it should not be all that surprising that hydrogen is also something that many believe to be a viable fuel source. Hydrogen is familiar to many people as one of the periodic table elements. It is also a natural resource that is a positive alternative to fossil fuel combustion for energy production. Though hydrogen is still not a main source of fuel currently, there is promising study and results proving its efficiency. With further investigation, perhaps hydrogen will be a means of living greener in the future.

There are actually two different ways that hydrogen can be used as fuel. One of these methods involves combining the hydrogen with oxygen in order to create water. Water cars are a whole field of promising study all on their own. Water cars are emission free and fully functional, though not without their drawbacks. The other method of using hydrogen is by combustion. This means that it is combusted within the engine much the same as the combustion that currently takes place with fossil fuels inside an engine. Of course because hydrogen is not a toxic fossil fuel, the emissions are not at all the same.

For awhile the Ford Motor Company had been debating on whether or not to launch a car that ran on hydrogen. They had planned to do so but that plan was later dropped. They decided that it wasn't a risk worth taking at this time. Hydrogen may not be quite ready for the mass market. However, Ford did go on to develop their own hybrid and flex fuel vehicles which have been rather successful. Like many other auto makers, those currently remain the two leading fossil fuel alternatives when it comes to green cars.

At this time it would cost too much to mass produce hydrogen fueled cars. It is unlikely that it would be a worthy investment for either manufacturers or consumers, especially when other options are available at a lower cost. Perhaps some of the problem is that there are so many fuel alternatives being tossed around that it can be difficult to isolate which is truly the best. The fact that hydrogen has to be made also makes it more difficult to obtain. Fossil fuels come straight out of the earth. There is also plenty more research that still needs to be done on hydrogen before we can take full advantage of it globally.

Some experts believe that it will take up to 40 years before hydrogen is ready for the public. Hydrogen is very hard to store in its natural form and instead has to be converted to a liquid form which requires a lot of energy. Also, making it accessible to the public everywhere is a real challenge that will not be overcome in the near future. Hydrogen certainly has its advantages which should be explored further. However, for now it seems that hybrids and flex fuel are the best earth friendly options that are readily available.

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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/hydrogen-as-a-fuel-source--793678.html

Ultraviolet Water Purifiers - The Best Way To Purify Drinking Water?

Author: David Cassell
Ultraviolet water purifiers are used by many public treatment facilities to reduce bacterial content. Ultraviolet systems have been adapted for use by homeowners with private wells that have a high bacterial count. Similarly portable ultraviolet water filters are now available for people who are camping or traveling abroad. But even though Ultraviolet purifiers can reduce bacteria to levels that don't cause illnesses, there are some pathogens that are resistant to UV treatment. They are known as cysts. Cysts are parasites in a very early stage of development that can only be neutralized by boiling or by filtering them out. They are greater than a micron in size. So, any purifier that filters down to at least one micron will remove them. Some of the better kitchen units filter down to a half micron. Depending on where you live and the quality of your supply, you may need both ultraviolet water purifiers to kill common bacteria and sub-micron filtration to reduce cysts. The amount of cysts in the environment depends on the year round temperature, the number of animals that are in the area and the season of the year. In the US, public treatment facilities test for them on an occasional, but not a regular basis. The EPA has said that regular testing is impractical. They warn that at-risk individuals should make every effort to protect themselves from this type of infection. Those that are most at-risk include infants, toddlers, the elderly and those with weakened or absent immune system function. In addition to cysts, many homeowners must worry about the chemicals that are used to kill bacteria and control algae growth in the pipelines. The most popular chemical for this purpose is chlorine, because it is cheap and readily available. Chlorination causes the release of byproducts known as THMs. Exposure to THMs greatly increases the individual's cancer risk. Ultraviolet water purifiers serve some purposes, but like reverse osmosis and distillation devices, they cannot kill cysts, nor can they remove chlorine or THMs. If you do have the need for ultraviolet purification in your home, you should know that recent studies done for the EPA showed that all methods of disinfection cause the production of THMs, even ultraviolet. Other studies have shown that THMs become airborne when chlorinated water is heated for showering, cleaning, cooking or other purposes. Well-insulated homes have some amount of chloroform gas (a known carcinogen and a THM) in the air. So, if you do have ultraviolet water purifiers in your home, it is a good first step to having the cleanest water in your home, especially if you get water from a private well. This is because private well owners are responsible for their own water treatment, not the local water authority. However, be aware that there are better water purifiers available which are capable of removing both chlorine and THMs. Some top of the line kitchen and shower water filters are capable of removing both these type of contaminants.
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