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| Property | Hydrogen | Methane | Methanol | Ethanol | Propane | Gasoline |
| Molecular Weight (g/mol) | 2.016 | 16.043 | 32.04 | 46.0634 | 44.10 | ~107.0 |
| Density (kg/m3) 20℃ and 1 atm | 0.08375 | 0.6682 | 791 | 789 | 1.865 | 751 |
| Normal Boiling point (℃) | –252.8 | –161.5 | 64.5 | 78.5 | –42.1 | 27–225 |
| Flash Point (℃) | < –253 | –188 | 11 | 13 | –104 | –43 |
| Flammability Limits in Air (Volume %) | 4.0–75.0 | 5.0–15.0 | 6.7–36.0 | 3.3–19 | 2.1–10.1 | 1.0–7.6 |
| CO2 Production per Energy Unit | 0 | 1.0 | 1.50 | 1.80 | ||
| Autoignition Temperature in Air (℃) | 585 | 540 | 385 | 423 | 490 | 230–480 |
| Higher Heating Value (MJ/kg) | 142.0 | 55.5 | 22.9 | 29.8 | 50.2 | 47.3 |
| Lower Heating Value (MJ/kg) | 120.0 | 50.0 | 20.1 | 27.0 | 46.3 | 44.0 |
Hydrogen is a good choice for a future energy source for many reasons. Some of these reasons are:
• Hydrogen can be made from various sources. It is completely renewable. The most abundant and cleanest precursor for hydrogen is water.
• Hydrogen can be stored in many forms, from gaseous to liquid to solid. It also can be stored in various chemicals and substances such as methanol, ethanol, and metal hydrides.
• It can be produced from, and converted to, electricity with high efficiencies.
• It can be transported and stored as safely as any other fuel.
Hydrogen and other fuels for fuel cells can be made cheaply and easily by processing hydrocarbons. Hydrogen has the potential to provide energy to all parts of the economy: industry, residences, transportation, and mobile applications. It can eventually release oil-based fuels used for automobiles, and may provide an attractive solution for remote communities that cannot be supplied electricity through the grid. The fundamental attraction for hydrogen is its environmental advantage over fossil fuels—but the hydrogen is only as clean as the technologies used to produce it. The production of hydrogen can be pollutant-free if it is produced by one of three methods:
• Through electrolysis using electricity derived solely from nuclear power or renewable energy sources.
• Through steam reforming of fossil fuels combined with new carbon capture and storage technologies.
• Through thermochemical or biological techniques based on renewable biomass.
A major disadvantage of processing hydrocarbons is the pollution and carbon dioxide, which eliminates one of the main reasons for using hydrogen in the first place. The best low-pollution alternative for creating hydrogen is a process involving electrolysis of water by electricity. This method creates no carbon dioxide, or nitrous or sulfurous oxides, but is more costly compared to other methods if electricity from electrical plants is used to break the water. The commercial worldwide production of hydrogen is approximately 40 million tones. This is used primarily to make other chemicals such as ammonia and urea, for the cracking of petrochemicals, and a feedstock for the food, electronics, and metallurgical processing industries.
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