1.

INTRODUCTION
1.1 HISTORY OF PROCESS
In 1671, Robert Boyle discovered and described the reaction between iron filings and
dilute acids, which results in the production of hydrogen gas. Hydrogen name come from
the Greek words "hydro" and"genes" meaning "water" and "generator".
Robert Boyle (1627-1691; English chemist and physicist) published a paper ("New
experiments touching the relation between flame and air") in 1671 in which he described the
reaction between iron filings and dilute acids which results in the evolution of gaseous
hydrogen ("inflammable solution of Mars" [iron]).
However it was only much later that it was recognized as an element by Henry
Cavendish (1731-1810; an English chemist and physicist who also independently discovered
nitrogen) in 1766 when he collected it over mercury and described it as "inflammable air from
metals". Cavendish described accurately hydrogen's properties but thought erroneously that
the gas originated from the metal rather than from the acid. Hydrogen was named by
Lavoisier.
In 1839 a British scientist Sir William Robert Grove carried out experiments on
electrolysis. He used electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. He then argued one
should be able to reverse the electrolysis and so generate electricity from the reaction of
oxygen with hydrogen. He enclosed platinum strips in separate sealed bottles, one containing
hydrogen and one oxygen. When the containers were immersed in dilute sulphuric acid a
current indeed flowed between the two electrodes and water was formed in the gas bottles. He
linked several of these devices in series to increase the voltage produced in a gas battery.
Later the term fuel cell was used by the chemists Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer.
In 1932 Dr Francis Thomas Bacon, an engineer at Cambridge University in the UK,
worked further on designs of Mond and Langer. He replaced the platinum electrodes with less
expensive nickel gauze and substituted the sulphuric acid electrolyte for alkaline potassium
hydroxide (less corrosive to the electrodes). This was in essence the first alkaline fuel cell
(AFC) and was called the Bacon Cell. It took Bacon another 27 years to demonstrate a
machine capable of producing 5 kW of power, enough to power a welding machine. At about
the same time the first fuel cell powered vehicle was demonstrated.

Much later fuel cells were by NASA in the 1960s for the Apollo space missions.
Fuel cells have been used for more than 100 missions in NASA spacecraft. Fuel cells are also
used in submarines.
Hydrogen is used daily as a gas and liquid by many industries, including the
petroleum industry and in manufacturing processes for producing chemicals, foods and
electronics. Towngas, a fuel used in the early part of the 20th century, was
50% hydrogen. Hydrogen is usedas a fuel for the NASA space shuttle.
Industrial production is mainly from the steam reforming of natural gas, and less
often from more energy-intensive hydrogen production methods like the electrolysis of water.
[12]

Most hydrogen is employed near its production site, with the two largest uses being fossil

fuel processing (e.g., hydrocracking) and ammonia production, mostly for the fertilizer
market. Hydrogen is a concern in metallurgy as it can embrittle many metals, complicating
the design of pipelines and storage tanks.
Electrolysis of water is the decomposition of water (H2O) into oxygen (O2) and
hydrogen gas (H2) due to an electric current being passed through the water. Electrolysis is
the process by which ionic substances are decomposed (broken down) into simpler substances
when an electric current is passed through them. For electrolysis to work, the ions must be
free to move. Ions are free to move when an ionic substance is dissolved in water or molten
(melted).

1.2 PROCESS METHOD

1.2.2 PROCESS AND PRODUCTION
In this project,electrolysis process are used to synthesis hydrogen gas. If an electrical
current is passed through water between electrodes (the positive and minus poles of a battery),
the water is split into its two parts: oxygen and hydrogen.

The chemical equation for electrolysis is:

energy (electricity) + 2 H2O -> O2 + 2 H2 .
At the cathode (the negative electrode), there is a negative charge created by the
battery. This means that there is an electrical pressure to push electrons into the water at this
end. At the anode (the positive electrode), there is a positive charge, so that electrode would
like to absorb electrons. But the water isn't a very good conductor. Instead, in order for there
to be a flow of charge all the way around the circuit, water molecules near the cathode are
split up into a positively charged hydrogen ion, which is symbolized as H + in the diagram
above and a negatively charged "hydroxide" ion, symbolized OH-:
H2O -> H+ + OH- .
It is expected that H 2O would break up into an H and an OH , but this doesn't happen
because the oxygen atom more strongly attracts the electron from the H - it steals it because

the oxygen atom is more electronegative than hydrogen. This allows the resulting hydroxide
ion to have a completely filled outer shell, making it more stable.
The H +, which is just a free proton and it pick up an electron (symbolized e -) from the
cathode, which is donate electrons, and become a regular, neutral hydrogen atom:
H+ + e- -> H
This hydrogen atom meets another hydrogen atom and forms a hydrogen gas molecule:
H + H -> H2,
Meanwhile, the positive anode has caused the negatively charged hydroxide ion (OH -)
to pass through the container to the anode. When it gets to the anode, the anode removes the
extra electron that the hydroxide stole from the hydrogen atom earlier, and the hydroxide ion
then recombines with three other hydroxide molecules to form 1 molecule of oxygen and 2
molecules of water:
4 OH- _> O2 + 2 H2O + 4eIn this way, a closed circuit is created, involving negatively charged particles electrons in the wire, hydroxide ions in the water. The energy delivered by the battery is
stored by the production of hydrogen.
The overall chemical formula:
H2O -> H+ + OH4OH- -> O2 + 2H2O +4e4H+ + 4e--> 2 H2
4H+ + 4OH- -> O2 + 2H2 + H2O
4 H2O -> O2 + 2H2 + 2H2O
2H2O -> O2 + 2H2
-rA=KCH2O2

1.2.2 REACTANT,PRODUCT,SIDE AND BY PRODUCT

The reactant that is being used in this project reactor is water.Its is the perfect choice
because the electrolysis of water do not produces harmful gaseous,rather than hydrocracking
of hydrocarbon process to synthesis hydrogen gaseous.The electrolysis process of water is
very environment friendly because this kind of process is so clean,it only generate oxygen gas
and hydrogen gas.The water also react as the electrolyte,enable the hydrogen ion and
hydroxide ion to roam freely.
The electrode that is being used is mechanical pencil lead which is in form of
graphite.It is an inert electrode , so the elctrode will not involve in the reaction and it will also
do not corrode nor elctroplated.The electrode act as the electric current carrier.So,it contains
excess of electrons for the ions in the water to discharged. The electrodes is divided in two
parts:anode and cathode.The electrons flow from anode to cathode through the connecting
wire in the external circuit.
The product of the electrolysis process is hydrogen gas.Hydrogen gas are
discharged from cathode graphite.When the hydrogen ions move towards cathode graphite
electrode,hydrogen ions receive electrons and when the valence electron is complete,they
discharged as hydrogen gas.
Side and by product of the process is oxygen gas.The reaction occurs like
hydrogen,but at different electrode. When the hydroxide ions move towards anode graphite
electrode,hydroxide ions receive electrons and when the valence electron is complete,they
discharged as oxygen gas.Thus,the side by product of this process emit zero harmful gaseous
and very environment friendly.

1.3 APPLICATION OF PRODUCTS AND ITS IMPORTANCE

Hydrogen gas is widely used in industry, chemical industries use it for hydrochloric
acid production. The same hydrogen gas is required for atomic hydrogen welding (AHW).
Electrical generators use the gas as a rotor coolant. The element is relied upon in many
manufacturing plants to check for leaks. Hydrogen can be used on its own or with other
elements. Other applications include fossil fuel processing and ammonia production.
Ammonia is part of many household cleaning products. It is also a hydrogenating agent used
to change unhealthy unsaturated fats to saturated oils and fats.
The hydrogen gas is often used as fuel because of its high calorific value. Combustion
generates plenty of energy. Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity from oxygen and
hydrogen. These electrochemical cells generate only water vapor so it is considered as
environment friendly.Fuel cells are used in spacecrafts, remote weather stations and
submarines. When in liquid form, it is used as rocket fuel. Deuterium is heavy hydrogen. This
isotope is used for nuclear fusion reaction in nuclear reactors.
Because hydrogen is light, scientists are able to use it with weather balloons.
Meteorologists weather balloons have this element installed. These balloons are fitted with
equipment to record information necessary to study the climate. During the First World War,
these were utilized in balloon airships.
Other uses of hydrogen are in the fertilizer and paint industries. It is also used in the
food and chemical industries. Food industries use the element to make hydrogenated
vegetable oils such as margarine and butter. In this procedure, vegetable oils are combined
with hydrogen. By using nickel as a catalyst, solid fat substances are produced.
In petrochemical industry, hydrogen is required for crude oil refinements.Welding companies
use the element for welding torches. These torches are utilized for steel melting. Hydrogen is
required as a reducing agent in chemical industries. Chemical industries use them for metal
extraction. For example, hydrogen is needed to treat mined tungsten to make them pure.