05-28-2006, 07:02 PM
Quote:Water is a molecule. You can't just "filter" out the hydrogen like you can filter out rocks from a pile of dirt. It takes a reaction to seperate them. In this case, it would take an endothermic reaction because it requires energy. Furthermore, you wouldn't be emitting oxygen, you would be emitting WATER - the product of burning hydrogen. So what we have is an engine that starts out with water, eventually to produce water - and since no process is 100% effiecient, you would just be losing energy. In fact, even if it WERE 100% effiient, it still wouldn't matter because you would be getting nothing more than what you put in.
But the benefit of this technology, is that you could use electricity to seperate water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Electricity can (Key word being 'Can') potentially be produced in more environmentally friendly ways then burning fossil fuels. (See - geothermal, solar, hydroelectric (despite all of its flaws), tidal, nuclear).
This isn't a magical energy pancea, but if more of our electricity is produced from non-polluting processes, then this will produce less pollution in the long run. Oh, and it'll reduce our reliance on oil.
"One day, o-n-e day..."