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What's a more efficient way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen: using electricity from a solar panel or using photosynthesis in a plant?
by changoplatanero 4y ago
What's a more efficient way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen: using electricity from a solar panel or using photosynthesis in a plant?
- outworlder 4y agoThat is a good question. Do you have any uses for the plant, or does it create interesting byproducts for you? Photosynthesis is not very efficient, but it is great at making complex organic molecules like sugar or cellulose. But a plant needs more than power. It needs nutrients, usually in the form of fertilizer. They also don't generally make hydrogen, not directly at least.
- jjk166 4y agoElectrolysis is orders of magnitude more efficient, but your equipment isn't self replicating.
- manmal 4y agoAnother thing to consider: plants currently require a lot of natural gas or other fossil fuels to grow. Droughts and heat waves can disrupt production.
- pfdietz 4y agoYou are talking about use of natural gas to make nitrogen fertilizer; ammonia made with "green hydrogen" replaces this.