Canadian researchers have discovered a way to extract hydrogen from oil without releasing greenhouse gases. Hydrogen is used by some car manufacturers to power vehicles and is also burned to generate electricity. Most of this hydrogen comes from natural gas, which involves releasing methane gas during the extraction process. Hydrogen technology has largely been restricted in the industry due to the high costs involved in separating the gas from other hydrocarbons.
The scientists noted their method of extracting hydrogen directly from oil sands and oil fields leaves gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the ground. In addition the process is considerably more economical than traditional methods.
The team unveiled the technology at the Goldschmidt Geochemistry Conference in Barcelona earlier this year. The method has the potential to produce hydrogen at between $0.10-0.50 USD per kilo, compared to current production costs of about $2 USD per kilo.
Image Courtesy: ronniechua, Getty Images.