<h3>Hydrogen fuel may disturb ozone layer</h3>
WASHINGTON (AP) -- While hydrogen is touted as a clean fuel waiting to replace fossil energy sources, a new study concludes its widespread use could increase damage to the ozone layer that protects Earth from ultraviolet radiation.
The report in Friday's editions of Science magazine says such trade-offs shouldn't prevent development of hydrogen fuel cells, but they should be taken into account when considering what measures might be needed to limit any environmental downside of a hydrogen-fuel economy.
Ever since President George W. Bush earlier this year singled out hydrogen development as a top energy priority, the fuel has been the buzzword in energy debates.
Congress plans to pump billions of dollars into hydrogen research as part of its energy agenda and the Bush administration is talking about an international push to develop the fuel.
Unlike fossil fuels -- coal, oil or natural gas -- which produce an array of chemicals that pollute the air as well as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, a hydrogen fuel cell when making energy releases only water as a byproduct.
But in the Science article, researchers at the California Institute of Technology raised the possibility that a hydrogen economy will not necessarily be a totally environmental friendly one.
Their study says that if hydrogen fuel replaced fossil fuels entirely it could be expected that 10 percent to 20 percent of the hydrogen would leak from pipelines, storage facilities, processing plants and fuel cells in cars and at power plants.

Leaks could cool stratosphere
Because hydrogen readily travels skyward, the researchers estimated that its increased use could lead to as much as a tripling of hydrogen molecules -- both manmade and from natural sources -- going into the stratosphere, where it would oxidize and form water.
"This would result in cooling of the lower stratosphere and the disturbance of ozone chemistry," the researchers wrote, resulting in bigger and longer-lasting ozone "holes" in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, where drops in ozone levels have been recorded over the past 20 years. They estimated that ozone depletion could be as much as 8 percent.
The loss of some of the Earth's ozone layer is of concern because ozone blocks much of the sun's ultraviolet light, which over time can lead to skin cancer, cataracts and other problems in humans.
Ozone depletion has been contained with the banning and phaseout by international treaty of ozone-killing chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs.
But the Cal Tech researchers said huge increases in the concentration of hydrogen in the stratosphere "could substantially delay the recovery of the ozone layer" as a result of CFC controls, even if a hydrogen economy is still decades away.
John Eiler, an assistant professor of geochemistry at Caltech and one of the article's authors, acknowledged there remains much that is not fully understood about the hydrogen cycle. For example, much of the leaking hydrogen might become absorbed in the soil, instead of drifting into the sky.
"If soils dominate, a hydrogen economy might have little effect on the environment. But if the atmosphere is the big player, the stratospheric cooling and destruction of the ozone ... are more likely to occur," said Eiler.

Risks called exaggerated
Caltech scientist Tracey Tromp, another of the authors, said that with advanced warnings of a problem, a hydrogen energy infrastructure could be fashioned to allow more control of leaks and reduce the adverse environmental impact.
"In the past ... we always found out that there a were problems long after (chemicals or fuels) were long in use," says Eiler, citing the case of CFCs and ozone depletion, and carbon dioxide that long was viewed as not a problem when released from burning fossil fuels, but now is the principal "greenhouse" gas linked to potential climate change.
Nejat Veziroglu, president the International Association for Hydrogen Energy and director of the Clean Energy Research Institute at the University of Miami, expressed skepticism about the Caltech findings.
"Leakage will be much less than what they are considering," he said.
Jeremy Rifkin, a leading advocate for developing a hydrogen economy, said "when you move into a new energy source you have to assume there's going to be some environmental impact" but that hydrogen, as a replacement for fossil fuels, still "is our hope for the future."
"We know we can't continue to burn fossil fuels because the planet is warming up. And we know hydrogen is where we have to head," said Rifkin in an interview.

<h6>Source: CNN</h6>

m8 its to much to read i cant handle it im tired.... [img]tongue.gif[/img] i bet its intrestating anyway [img]tongue.gif[/img] ;)

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Simply being alive disturbs the atmosphere. Perhaps if we all move out into space we would disturb the planet a lot less and make things more comfy for the bugs :D </font>

really??? wow, I guess we're just doomed to kill our planet in some way-shape-or form, but I am still an advocate for hydrogen fuels cells, if only to save our non-renewable resources. but I am impressed that bush is pushing for it, that makes one thing he's done that I approve of. lets hope this trend for him continues.

Funny, no mention of the most important emission of fuel cell cars, Dihydrogen Monoxide, which can be really nasty stuff if you're not careful. Originally a fertilizer, we now use this chemical in everything from flame retardants to cement to cooking. It is the primary emission of fuel cells.

I believe pathogens can be grown in DihydrogenMonoxide, as well a mosquito larva containing the West Nile Virus. Very dangerous stuff this DihydrogenMonoxide.

I believe pathogens can be grown in DihydrogenMonoxide, as well a mosquito larva containing the West Nile Virus. Very dangerous stuff this DihydrogenMonoxide. </font>[/QUOTE][img]graemlins/idontagreeatall.gif[/img] You both deserve this ......

[img]graemlins/finger.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/moon.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/whackya.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

what doesnt, these days? i bet each time we fart or burb we destroy a portion of the ozone layer :D

what doesnt, these days? i bet each time we fart or burb we destroy a portion of the ozone layer :D </font>[/QUOTE]technicaly the release of methane into the atmoshpere does contribute to the ozone hole problem. in other words farting DOES contribute to the hole [img]tongue.gif[/img] :D
however the effects must be tiny compared to the damage done by cars and industry.

*groan*
You know many people actually signed that petition? You could make anything sound intimidating and mystical by referring to it by its official chemical name. I wonder if people would pay for exorcists when I told them that this creepy DihydrogenMonoxide-stuff has already infiltrated their bodies and taken over roughly 60% of it... ;)

As for the investigation mentioned in the article (no, it's not Onion-esque, contrary to popular belief displayed in this topic so far ;) ), it's just a research from a few scientists who are pointing out potential problems with hydrogen fuel so they can be solved or considered before starting on an infrastructure.

If it turns out to be false alarm or widely exaggerated, so be it; but at least it's investigated beforehand for a change, instead of afterwards as seems to have been the general consensus with many of people's inventions over the last century. ;)

[ 06-13-2003, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: Grojlach ]