The reaction of sodium with water to produce hydrogen is a direction in the efforts to obtain hydrogen energy
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My recent post on the production of hydrogen through the reaction between sodium and water has attracted the attention and participation of many friends. I’m happy to hear any opinions they have, but I remain confident in continuing my research, as this is the simplest and fastest way to obtain hydrogen energy. However, it’s very difficult to achieve this goal; if it were easy, we wouldn’t be discussing it today. The greater the difficulty, the more valuable it is for reflection. In terms of reactions, most of us have only seen the phenomenon of sodium being added to water in class, as well as scenes of explosions that occur when large pieces of sodium are thrown into a pool of water. But given the immense power of atomic bombs, wasn’t nuclear energy still used anyway? I hope the people who participate are thoughtful individuals, rather than those who talk carelessly without brushing their teeth. As for what I think is worth striving for, they are: 1. The reaction between sodium and water is the simplest method for producing hydrogen, 2. Only the reaction between sodium and water is needed, with no other substances required. 3. The sodium hydroxide produced as a by-product after the reaction can be recovered through electrolysis, and no toxic or harmful substances are generated in this process. Some people always think that nothing can be done about that heat of reaction, but have you calculated how much water is needed to dilute sodium hydroxide into a saturated solution? As for the cost issue, some people may not even be familiar with the latest technologies in sodium hydroxide electrolysis. In any case, I am convinced that by using sodium hydroxide as a raw material to electrolyze sodium and then reacting it with water to produce hydrogen, followed by recycling the sodium, this approach could transform the entire energy structure. I hope that one day this will become a reality.
“Electrolyzing sodium using sodium hydroxide as a raw material? It seems that the most fundamental issue is still the production of the metal \"sodium\".
There’s a significant issue here: in the process of producing sodium through electrolysis of sodium hydroxide, followed by the production of hydrogen, which is then burned to generate power for driving machinery, there are 4 steps involved. Assuming that 80% efficiency is achieved in each step, the overall energy utilization rate would still be only 41%. Isn’t it better to just use electric vehicles? The energy utilization rate for electric vehicles is 50%, which is 9% higher than that. Where do you get the confidence to change the world’s energy landscape?
You old stubborn person really can’t communicate at all. With so many posts, there are numerous valuable responses from experts with years of experience in research and design in the chemical industry; you haven’t taken any of them into account, nor do you have the ability to identify which ones are valuable. Areas such as cost calculation, modern industrial technology, and sodium fuel cells as a counterpart to lithium batteries. If you can’t extract valuable information from it, it means your learning ability is poor. No matter how much communication takes place, the result is that one clings to one’s own assumptions and refuses to accept or learn from valuable information from the outside world. You would be better off creating a section on Weibo or in some forum to entertain netizens; you don’t need the information here, nor can you get the experience you’re looking for
It’s really not that someone is trying to insult you on purpose; take a look at what you said about “electrolytic recovery of sodium from sodium hydroxide” – I suggest you review middle school chemistry again
This post was last edited by mmliuqing on 2019-6-28 at 16:43. I believe that the most environmentally friendly process is to produce sodium using sodium hydroxide, then use that sodium to produce hydrogen, and finally recycle sodium hydroxide to produce more sodium. If this approach can be implemented, it would help solve the major problems related to clean energy; as for whether it’s feasible or not, only by trying it out can we find out. As for electricity, aside from wind power, hydroelectric power, tidal power, solar power, and nuclear power, any form of power generation that relies on fossil fuels is polluting. Moreover, in the case of electric vehicles, used batteries will also pose a problem; even a small dry battery poses environmental issues, let alone battery packs that weigh over a ton. Don’t say no; ask more about why it’s not possible, and whether there is any way to improve the situation. As for suggesting that I read middle school chemistry books, it shows that you are thinking about this issue at a middle school level.
The process technologies for producing metallic sodium include the caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) molten electrolysis method, the table salt (sodium chloride) molten electrolysis method, and the electrolytic sodium-mercury amalgam method. Considering factors such as the complexity of the processes, costs, safety, and the purity of the final product, which is pure sodium, the caustic soda molten electrolysis method and the table salt molten electrolysis method are generally used in industrial production, with the table salt molten electrolysis method being employed in the vast majority of cases and the caustic soda molten electrolysis method in a smaller proportion. The caustic soda fusion electrolysis method, also known as the Castner process, uses sodium hydroxide as the raw material. The melting temperature is 320–330°C; nickel is used as the anode and iron as the cathode. A nickel mesh diaphragm is placed between the electrodes, with an electrolysis voltage of 4–4.5 V. Metal sodium is deposited at the cathode ； The electrolysis process involves high voltages, and since the nickel mesh fails to effectively separate the sodium product from other liquids, the purity of the produced sodium is not high. In other existing production processes, obtaining industrial sodium metal products with a purity of ≥99.5% requires complex electrolytic structures and intricate electrolytic processes, resulting in high energy consumption. What exactly is this new process you keep talking about? What is the purity of the sodium obtained? What is the theoretical energy consumption? I would appreciate your advice. Also, please share the calculation process for this entire series of steps, so that we all can learn from it*.
This post was last edited by mmliuqing on 2019-6-28 at 18:04. Sodium is produced by electrolyzing sodium hydroxide using a Na-β-Al2O3 cathode membrane, with an electricity consumption of 3.45 kWh per kilogram, which is close to the theoretical value; take a look at the book “Sodium Metal” if you have time. I also checked this master’s thesis titled \"Preparation of High-Purity Metallic Sodium by Melting Electrolysis Using Na-β-Al2O3 Ceramic Diaphragms\", which contains very detailed experimental data.
Where does the electricity used for electrolytic sodium production come from? Why can’t this electricity be used to power cars directly? Have you ever seen someone fart without wearing pants? I really haven’t seen anyone take off their pants just to fart…
I specifically went to check out your post – it turns out there’s already so much discussion on it. Then why don’t you share something that goes beyond what’s covered in school textbooks, so that everyone can benefit from it? Instead of always saying things like “I saw this in such and such book” or “I saw this in such and such video”. Remember to reply next time, so that I can read your work.
Once my results are ready, you won’t only be able to see them, but you’ll also be able to use them.