Hydrogen vs Fossil Fuels (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry)

Revision Note

Stewart Hird

Last updated

Hydrogen as a Fuel

Hydrogen as a fuel

  • Hydrogen is used in rocket engines and in fuel cells to power some cars and buses

  • It reacts with oxygen in an exothermic reaction:

2H2 + O2 →2H2O

  • Hydrogen has a series of advantages and disadvantages regarding its use as a fuel

  • Advantages:

    • It releases more energy per kilogram than any other fuel (except for nuclear fuels)

    • It does not pollute as it only produces water on combustion, no other product is formed

  • Disadvantages:

    • Expensive to produce and requires energy for the production process

    • Difficult and dangerous to store and move around (usually stored as liquid hydrogen in highly pressurised containers)

    • The production of hydrogen process releases carbon dioxide 

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The economics of hydrogen production still make it an expensive fuel compared to fossil fuels.

Fossil Fuels

  • A fuel is a substance which when burned, releases heat energy

  • This heat can be transferred into electricity, which we use in our daily lives

  • Most common fossil fuels include coal, natural gas and hydrocarbons such as methane and propane which are obtained from crude oil

  • The main constituent of natural gas is methane, CH4

  • Most of the world's energy supply still comes from fossil fuels:

World Energy Consumption 2019, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Over 80% of the world's energy supply still comes from fossil fuels

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The rate of extraction of fossil fuels outstrips their formation, so fossil fuels are a finite and non-replenishable resource within a human time scale.

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Stewart Hird

Author: Stewart Hird

Expertise: Chemistry Lead

Stewart has been an enthusiastic GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB teacher for more than 30 years in the UK as well as overseas, and has also been an examiner for IB and A Level. As a long-standing Head of Science, Stewart brings a wealth of experience to creating Topic Questions and revision materials for Save My Exams. Stewart specialises in Chemistry, but has also taught Physics and Environmental Systems and Societies.