Essay Sample about Hydrogen-Oxygen Fuel Cells

Introduction : 

A fuel cell can be defined as an electrochemical cell that generates electrical energy from fuel via an electrochemical reaction (Fuel Cell - Definition, Working, Types, and Applications of fuel cell., 2021). A fuel cell uses fuel to create electricity, in regular fuel cells our fuel is fossil fuels and gives out carbon dioxide. But carbon dioxide is harmful to the environment and fossil fuels are non-renewable, what is a better alternative? We use these fuel cells in almost everything so how can we make a cell that uses renewable fuel and gives out a product which is not harmful to the environment? Hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells help combat these issues using a renewable resource that is very abundant ( Hydrogen ) and give out a product that is not harmful ( Water ). 

How does it work? 

In a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell, you have a positive terminal on the left side ( which is also called the anode ) and a negative terminal on the right side ( the cathode ). Between these terminals was an electrolyte and on each terminal, there is a catalyst. The hydrogen enters the anode and meets the catalyst, it breaks into protons and electrons. The protons go through the electrolyte and reach the other side however the electrons are not able to move through the electrolyte so it passes through the wire which directly connects these two terminals when this happens electricity is created. Once the electrons go to the other side they combine with oxygen and protons thus creating water, this new product comes out as a waste product. 

This technology seems to be a good option, it is harmless, it uses a non-renewable fuel and it still can meet our day-to-day needs. When this concept was introduced billions of dollars were put into making this possible, yet we still do not see these cells being used. So what happened? Why is not used now in our daily lives? As much as there are advantages to this technology there are also disadvantages. 

Advantages : 

These cells as mentioned earlier are eco-friendly, as they use hydrogen as a fuel that is the most abundant gas and is renewable and gives water a product that will not pollute our environment. It also is more efficient than regular cells as hydrogen cells are 65-75% efficient compared to other cells having efficiency between 35-45%. This cell is used in spaceships and water produced in the cells is used for drinking purposes by astronauts after mixing with suitable salts. 

Disadvantages : 

One of the main disadvantages is that you are still using fossil fuels to produce hydrogen, hydrogen does not exist on its own, so while you are being eco-friendly while using hydrogen, when extracting the hydrogen we still use fossil fuels. Another disadvantage is that hydrogen cannot be stored that easily, it needs to be pressurized and put in a cold place. These cells are also very expensive to make, this is one of the reasons why they were not used in cars since people do not want to pay such a high price.

Conclusion : 

As much as these hydrogen fuel cells are good for the environment and seem to be a good alternative to our regular fuel cells, there are many disadvantages. Maybe when we can overcome these disadvantages, these cells could be the future.