Another disadvantage is that burning the fuel still releases carbon, so the pollution problems presented by fossil fuels are not fully addressed with the use of biomass.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is cited as a relatively safe, clean replacement for organic (carbon based) motor fuels. It may be burned as in internal combustion or turbine engines, or it may be used in fuel cell stacks to generate electricity for small-scale applications. In either case, the byproduct of the process, or its "exhaust" product, is plain water.
It is also an abundant fuel, being the major component of water. There is no free hydrogen in the atmosphere for very long, since it is so light that it floats off into outer space rather than staying gravitationally bound in the atmosphere. The problem is in separating it from its abundant matrix (water) since the method of separation, electrolysis, requires more energy input in the form of electricity than the equivalent energy value of the hydrogen it releases. This means that the electricity used to produce hydrogen must come from sources that are less than dirt cheap to operate.
Storing the fuel becomes another problem, as it must be contained in pressure tanks that represent a risk of explosion, although not that much greater a risk than that which exists with a gasoline tank.
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