How is the hydrogen gas we breathe produced? ─ Analysis of hydrogen production technology

With the vigorous development of hydrogen health care, the market is flooded with various hydrogen molecule health care products. But are these products really effective and safe? This is something that everyone needs to pay special attention to when purchasing hydrogen products.

The most critical factor that affects the quality of hydrogen products is "hydrogen production technology." This article will introduce several mainstream hydrogen production technologies on the market, compare the advantages and disadvantages of different hydrogen production technologies, so that everyone can understand what they are using. of hydrogen products!

Magnesium rod hydrogen production

The principle of the magnesium rod hydrogen production method is very simple. Magnesium is directly contacted with water, and magnesium hydroxide and hydrogen molecules are produced after the reaction.

Reaction formula: Mg ( magnesium ) + 2H 2 O ( water ) → Mg(OH) 2  ( magnesium hydroxide ) + H 2  ( hydrogen molecule )

The advantages of the magnesium rod hydrogen production method are that it is simple and cheap, but it also has many disadvantages:

(1)   The reaction rate is slow and the hydrogen production is difficult to control

(2)   The by-product " magnesium hydroxide Mg(OH) 2  " is potentially harmful to the human body. Do not ingest more than 300 mg a day.

Many packaged hydrogen water / hydrogen water on the market produce hydrogen water through the hydrogen production method of magnesium rods. Although this method is very simple, you still need to pay more attention when using it! 

Electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen

The principle of electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen is to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen through electricity.

Reaction formula: 2H 2 O ( water ) → 2H 2  ( hydrogen molecule ) + O 2  ( oxygen )

The principle of electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen is very simple and the technology is mature, but there are still some problems:

(1)   Pure water is almost non-conductive due to the lack of ions as a medium, so the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen mostly uses tap water to carry out the reaction.However, tap water contains chlorine. In addition to hydrogen and oxygen, toxic chlorine (Cl 2  ) may also be produced after the electrolysis reaction.

(2)   Ozone may be formed, which in addition to the pungent odor is also harmful to the human body

(3)   A large amount of electricity is required to produce a certain amount of hydrogen, and the hydrogen production rate is poor.

(4)   The process of generating hydrogen gas will increase the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH – ) , increase the PH value of water , and make the water more alkaline. However, the human body is not suitable for drinking solutions that are too alkaline.

(5)   If the generated hydrogen and oxygen are not isolated through an airtight device, the machine will have a risk of explosion.

Most hydrogen water cups on the market use the traditional electrolysis method to produce hydrogen water. Although this method is cheap, simple, and common, it still has many risks and needs to be used with caution. 

PEM + MEA  technology for hydrogen production

The PEM + MEA hydrogen production method is the reverse reaction of a hydrogen fuel cell, using pure water and electricity to produce hydrogen and oxygen.

Reaction:

Anode: 2H 2 O ( water )  →  4H + ( hydrogen protons ) + 4e – ( electrons ) + O 2 ( oxygen )

At the cathode: 4H + ( hydrogen proton ) + 4e – ( electron )  →  2H 2 ( hydrogen molecule )

This method decomposes water molecules at the anode to generate hydrogen protons (H + ) . The hydrogen protons (H + ) generated at the anode will be dissolved in water and drawn to the cathode through the proton exchange membrane (PEM) , and obtain electrons. Hydrogen gas is produced. There are many benefits to producing hydrogen through PEM + MEA  technology, including:

(1)   The hydrogen production efficiency is high, the current density is 5 times that of traditional electrolyzed water, and it saves electricity under the same hydrogen production amount.

(2)   Using pure water for reaction, the purity of hydrogen produced is extremely high ( up to 99.995%) , and there are no other by-products that are harmful to the human body.

(3)   PEM (Polymer Proton Exchange Membrane ) is an airtight material that can completely isolate and shunt hydrogen and hydrogen and oxygen to avoid the risk of explosion and is highly safe.

The advent of PEM + MEA technology has solved the shortcomings of magnesium rod hydrogen production and traditional electrolysis hydrogen production in terms of hydrogen purity, hydrogen production efficiency and safety. However, the cost of this technology is expensive, and there is a gap between the price of other hydrogen production methods.

	PEM-MEA	Traditional Electrolysis	Magnesium Rod
Hydrogen Production Principle	Use MEA technology to electrode pure water and produce hydrogen production through proton exchange membranes (PEM)	Use the electrolyte in general water for electrolytic	Use metal magnesium and water chemical reaction to produce hydrogen
Purity	✔ Extremely High	Normal	Unstable
Efficiency	✔ Excellent	Not Good	Normal
Reaction & Additives	✔ Pure Water	General Water	Magnesium
By-Product (Except Oxygen)	✔ None	Chlorine Gas, Ozone (Doubt With Health)	Magnesium Hydroxide (Inhale With Upper Limit)
Hydroxide Flow	✔ Diversion	Confluence	Confluence
Safety	✔ Extremely High	Medium	High

Although hydrogen production using PEM + MEA  technology is much more expensive than other hydrogen production methods, in order to allow everyone to use hydrogen more safely, UPH hydrogen breathing still adopts the world-leading PEM-MEA technology. Everyone is welcome to experience "the safest hydrogen" breathe" !