Hydrogen Myths – Separating H2 from Water Is Difficult & Uneconomical

The most common anti-hydrogen myth on repeat right now is that splitting water is difficult, costly, and cannot be done economically.  This argument seems to consistently come from people who are very pro battery, anti-hydrogen, science deficient, and economically ignorant.  As a long-time hydrogen advocate, I encounter these people and this sentiment all the time; it’s exhausting.  The conversation always seems to start with some kind of disrespect toward hard working people trying to bring sustainable hydrogen solutions to market.  BMW posted a tweet the other day on Threads that said “Imagine a world where your car runs on the most abundant element in the universe.  Would you make the switch to hydrogen?”.

BMW’s tweet on Threads from Friday 10/25/24 – The same day that Lithium America’s Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada was fully approved by the federal government. Lithium Americas has been working for over 10 years to get Thacker Pass approved.

What a nice sentiment right?  Here’s a car company risking valuable resources to a commitment of sustainability.  Surely people who care about our air and water resources would rejoice and share some love & support, right?  People would commend BMW for their decades of effort in hydrogen research and development to be sustainable, right?

No.  Just no…  2024 doesn’t work that way.

All BMW got was drive by machine gun fire from the AHBB (Anti-Hydrogen Bot Brigade). There are so many hydrogen haters that come out of the woodwork to throw shade on hydrogen that they might as well have nickname.  Don’t worry Bimmer, RMP has your back.  Let’s break this down.

Introduction

The normal jokes that seem to be a common response to BMW’s tweet usually go something like this:  show a glass of water and sarcastically proclaim the problem with hydrogen is it doesn’t exist in its pure form.  It’s trapped in water which requires using more energy to split the water, compress the gas, cool it, and dispense it.  Wow Einstein.  You’re so smart.  I’m sure you have out thought the engineers at BMW, Hyundai, Toyota, GM and so many more companies who have been investing billions of dollars in hydrogen technology for decades.  I’m sure they wish they had consulted your tinfoil hat before wasting all that time, energy, and money working toward a sustainable energy future.

Sarcasm aside, it almost seems surreal the nonsense and lack of diligence required to understand so little about sustainability or how energy works; especially at scale.  The flunkies all have keyboards now and good grief there are so many of them.  I wish I could say the AHBB was a small group of malcontents, but no.  Like many other “anti” groups or collections of people, hydrogen detractors seem to have big numbers and make a lot of noise in the comment section and on unregulated social media sites.  What they seem to have in common is a lack of understanding how battery grade materials are made, where they’re made, and which one country dominates the global supply chain and why that presents an economic problem for western countries.

It’s a nice segue into this post and more to come regarding the hydrogen supply chain and the lithium-ion battery supply chain.  Hydrogen and lithium-ion batteries are two things we’re going to need a lot of in a sustainable economy.  One of those two things is very difficult to make and can take decades just to get a domestic supply chain crawling, the other is hydrogen.  One of those two things gets unfairly maligned for its difficulty manufacture and produce, the other is lithium-ion batteries.

RMP just launched our new Lithium-ion Battery Supply Chain Map this month and a new post heralding its debut.  Less than a week later, just this past Friday, 10/25/24, the federal government gave final approval to the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada (which you can find on RMP’s new map).  Lithium Americas has been working hard for over 10 years surveying, drilling, as well as spending millions on lab tests and environmental assessments. There was a lot of red tape to cut through to get Thacker Pass permitted.  Thacker Pass will be a more sustainable lithium mine than a spodumene mine. The Thacker Pass mine will extract lithium from clay deposits which can be done in a more environmentally friendly way than extracting lithium from spodumene.  Basically, if a company like Lithium Americas does everything right, spends millions of dollars in baseline environmental assessments, and takes on long term financial risk, it can get a permit for a lithium mine in about 10 years.  Then in its 11th year, it can start to make lithium, which is really long road compared to making hydrogen. Yet hydrogen always gets a bad rap regarding its complexity.

Thesis Statement

RMP supports batteries.  They’ll play an important part in the hydrogen economy.   But today as BMW tweeted out some H2 love and Thacker Pass got approved on the same day, it hit me:  how much easier it is to make hydrogen than it is to make a battery.  The sheer nonsense of disrespecting water by using it to make hydrogen in a 100% renewable way goes like this:  H2 is bad, uneconomic, and inefficient while using a battery car is so easy, you just plug a battery into the wall and the grid is getting more sustainable every day.  There you have it, H20 is super complicated and plugging in a BEV to an outlet is super simple.  A simple solution for a simple mind.  We can all go home now, batteries win and fuel cells lose.  Case closed.

But it doesn’t work that like.  Batteries and fuel cells work together.  They need each other.  We need both.  And we need a lot of both.  Like a lot.  And that’s the kicker of a thesis for this post to kill two birds with one stone:  Anti-hydrogen BEV fanatics think hydrogen is complicated because they don’t know how battery cathodes & anodes are made.   The hydrogen haters are stuck on batteries being simple because they don’t know how cathodes and anodes are made. They have never seen or understood the upstream and midstream segments of the supply chain because they’re non-existent in our country or any western country.  They’ve only ever seen materials come off a boat from China and then they’re called green.  Did China pick these cathode & anode raw materials off the battery tree?   Or do you harvest cathode & anode materials like potatoes?  Like potatoes, maybe batteries grow underground from battery seeds and if you water them all summer, you can harvest them in the fall?

Well, cathode & anode materials do come from underground, but making them is much more complex than making hydrogen and currently is done with fossil fuels at every stage of development.  Hydrogen production plants and electrolyzer plants can get approved in just a few months.  Governors and Senators are proud to announce them as a win-win for the economy and environment; even in red states.  But mines for battery minerals, however, are a long slog to get approved.  To get through the entire permitting process in the USA can take an average of 7 to 10 years whereas in Canada & Australia that same process only takes 4 years on average.  And permitting is only step one of digging up rocks with trace metal amounts in them.  If you think it’s hard to separate water into H2 and O2, how do you think lithium is separated from spodumene ore?

Why are hydrogen production facilities and electrolyzer manufacturing plants so easy to get approved on a fast track?  Because H2 can be made from local feedstocks with little to zero carbon and no toxic pollution to worry about.  Hydrogen can also be made with waste gasses that contribute to global warming.  It’s no wonder politicians love announcing them.  Let’s look at four key characteristics of a new hydrogen facility:

1.  They provide local jobs.

2. They use local feedstocks.

3. They’re sustainable.

4. They don’t threaten the environment

5. They don’t require millions of dollars in baseline environmental assessment (BEAs) studies that take years to complete

Can a new lithium mine, nickel mine, manganese mine, or cobalt mine say the same thing as a new H2 related plant?  It turns out a new mine can only claim #1 & #2 for certain.  A mine really has to work to achieve #3, and it’s hard no on #4 & #5.  Mines threaten the shit out of the environment and that’s simultaneously why A) all battery grade raw materials come through China and B) all BEV fanatics think battery cathodes are made from unicorns & lollipops.  China dominates the upstream and midstream segment of the supply chain and the USA is at square one.  This is why it took Lithium America 10 years and millions of dollars of BEAs to get the Thacker Pass lithium mine approved.  Let that sink in then take stock of battery mining in America if you think I’m wrong.

The USA has one active lithium mine at Silver Peak (brine) and now a second lithium mine fully permitted to start production at Thacker Pass (lithium rich clay).  USA has zero cobalt mines, zero graphite mines, zero manganese mines and one nickel mine (which is right here in Michigan).  In Latin, the USA’s upstream battery supply chain could be described as de minimus.  On the global stage, the USA’s upstream battery supply chain could be called a joke.

So why do I pick those five elements to demonstrate the meager state of the USA upstream supply chain for battery raw materials?  All five metals from ore to battery grade material are required to make the cathode and anode of one of the most popular battery chemistries on US roads today, the Lithium NMC battery.  The USA has all these metals in abundance.  If the USA has all these metals in abundance, why don’t we get cracking on opening mines?  Why aren’t we digging these rocks up and building ore crushers?  Why aren’t we digging out Olympic swimming pool sized heap leaching pits?  Why aren’t we digging tailings ponds for the waste water resulting from acid leaching ore?

The image above shows a massive heap leaching operation. Ore is crushed to increase it’s reactive surface area with sulfuric acid. “Heaps” are arranged with channels that all drain to the “pregnant” leaching solution in the two lagoons at the bottom. Sulfuric acid gets sprayed over the crushed ore and “leaches” the metal into solution which is called “pregnant” with metal. Metal can be precipitated out of that pregnant solution at which point it becomes barren solution which means it no longer has metals that are wanted for money. That toxic barren water must be kept separate from our drinking water. Some times heap leach pits collapse and toxic water mixes with our fresh water and contaminates it. That’s what happened just this summer at Eagle gold mine in Alaska when a heap leach operation collapsed.

Hydrogen production plants and electrolyzer manufacturing plants get approved quickly because making hydrogen from water is about 1000x less complicated than making a cathode & anode materials for a lithium NMC battery or any lithium-ion battery.  Recognizing China’s dominance in the lithium-ion battery supply chain and the USA’s ambition to improve our upstream and midstream capabilities is probably the best thing to ever happen to the hydrogen economy.  It will for the first time exhibit in full display how much harder it is to make Lithium NMC cathodes and graphite anodes on US soil than it is to make abundant, renewable, and simple hydrogen with a byproduct of drinkable water. 

Hydrogen produces zero toxic waste.  H2 is simple to make, which is the opposite of the myth.  Acid leaching metal from ore is much harder. Hydrogen gets compressed and cooled, but it’s a non-toxic process and has been well understood in industry for over 100 years. H2 haters make it sound like compressing and cooling hydrogen is some big deal but it is much less complicated and expensive than making the commitment to make raw materials for batteries. Many BEV enthusiasts would not want mining operations in their backyards or threatening their drinking reservoirs, but they’re quick to be triggered by hydrogen for whatever irrational reason.

Jervois Global was set to open a new cobalt mine in Idaho in 2023, but the project was cancelled because it was too financially risky.  China can shut you out of business through commodity manipulation if they want because they completely dominate the cobalt market, same with graphite.  This is why it’s economic suicide to entrust the entire energy segment of your economy to a communistic adversarial trading partner. Whether you support Trump or Harris in the election next week, it’s one of the few things they both agree is America’s biggest challenge: competing with China on building our energy supply chain.

Jervois Global had planned to open the Idaho Cobalt Operations (ICO), aiming for it to be the only U.S. cobalt mine. However, due to declining cobalt prices and rising costs, Jervois suspended construction at the site in early 2023 after investing significantly in its infrastructure.  Jervois would have had to ship its cobalt to its refinery in São Paulo, Brazil, for processing because zero cobalt processing exists in the USA. The lack of U.S.-based refining would have meant a diesel train ride to a Pacific port, a diesel boat ride to São Paulo, Brazil , and a diesel boat ride back to America before it could be used in the next step of making a cathode.  That’s expensive, unsustainable, and complicated, unlike making hydrogen from water.  In fact, approximately 80% of cobalt refining is concentrated in China, with limited capacity elsewhere.  To break that market, it’s going to be tough, but break it we must to make batteries in the West for the West.  If a hydrogen advocate can support something as difficult, expensive, and threatening to our fresh water as mining and refining cobalt, why can’t a battery advocate support something as simple as splitting water into hydrogen & oxygen that has no threat to our environment?  It’s a question I simply don’t have an answer for.

Final Summary

They say history repeats itself.  It’s funny how in 2024, the arguments against hydrogen sound eerily familiar to the same arguments people used against solar in the 1980’s.  In the 80’s solar could not get support because it was too costly, too inefficient, and could never be done economically.  Sound familiar?  People who are now staunch supporters of solar are the same ones who level misleading attacks on the potential of hydrogen.  The USA famously gave up on solar with Ronald Reagan quashing US solar ambitions as one of the first acts of his new administration. Reagan wanted to show contrast and undo Jimmy Carter’s ambition to push the USA toward solar power and renewable energy. The Chinese were well behind the US in solar technology at the time, but they never stopped pursuing solar because they knew its promise. Now China dominates in both solar & battery global markets.  The USA is on the precipice of giving up on hydrogen for the same ignorant and naive reasons while China has now changed their focus from batteries to hydrogen the same way they stuck with solar. So the place where we buy our batteries from, China, is now investing more in hydrogen fuel cells than batteries and America still dozes off at the wheel. If we abandon our hydrogen ambitions now, we will lose another important energy sector to the Chinese while simultaneously becoming completely dependent on them.

Perhaps the best thing to happen for hydrogen is America trying to make cathodes & anodes domestically.  It will put in stark contrast, not how difficult it is to extract H2 from H2O with renewable electricity, but rather how difficult it is to extract metals from rocks using sulfuric acid.  Water is all around you and H2 production can happen anywhere people live and H2 is also made in a non-toxic way.  Lithium, cobalt, manganese, graphite, and nickel are hard to find.  They’re in very isolated places, and even when you can find them, they’re very difficult to liberate from the compounds they’re found in.  Hydrogen detractors would have you believe the opposite.  It’s not true.

China’s dominance in the lithium-ion battery supply chain began with strategic decisions made several decades ago to establish a comprehensive ecosystem supporting battery production from mining to manufacturing. Recognizing the importance of lithium-ion batteries for emerging technologies, particularly BEVs and stationary storage, China’s government promoted significant investments in both upstream (mining and raw material processing) and midstream (battery cell and component production) sectors. Chinese companies, often supported by government subsidies and financing, aggressively pursued partnerships and acquisitions of mining projects worldwide. Major companies like CATL, BYD, and Tianqi Lithium established stakes in lithium, cobalt, and nickel mines across Africa, South America, and Australia, creating a vertically integrated supply chain. This approach allowed China to secure a steady flow of critical materials and develop processing facilities domestically, a move that has kept costs lower and increased its control over the entire battery production chain.

From an economic perspective, China’s complete supply chain control has allowed it to dominate the global battery market, giving Chinese companies a significant price and supply stability advantage. By owning and managing most of the supply chain, Chinese battery producers are less vulnerable to international market fluctuations and raw material shortages. This dominance has facilitated economies of scale, leading to lower production costs, technological advancements, and competitive pricing. These factors have propelled Chinese companies to the forefront of the global BEV market and positioned China as the leading exporter of lithium-ion batteries, cementing its role in the clean energy transition and generating substantial economic benefits.

For the U.S., developing a domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain is crucial to achieving energy independence and ensuring future economic stability. Currently, the U.S. imports a large portion of its battery materials, which creates vulnerabilities related to supply chain disruptions, market volatility, and geopolitical tensions. By investing in upstream mining projects and midstream processing facilities, the U.S. aims to secure critical minerals domestically and reduce reliance on foreign producers, primarily China. Building this infrastructure would not only support job growth in high-tech and mining sectors but also align with national energy goals to advance the BEV market and expand renewable energy storage. A self-sufficient battery supply chain would give the U.S. greater control over its clean energy transition, enhance economic resilience, and establish a competitive stance in the global energy landscape.

It all sounds really difficult to launch the USA’s battery making ambitions; and it is.  But it’s necessary for our energy independence and economic prosperity.  Thank god splitting H2O into H2 and O2 is easy, because making battery cathodes and anodes is hard. Thank you for reading this.  RMP is small 501(c )3 non-profit organization registered in Michigan.  We advocate for sustainable energy and track renewable energy infrastructure.  We map out energy infrastructure like North America’s Lithium-ion Battery Supply Chain on our newest map.  If you want to follow the progress of making batteries in America, bookmark our new map and start to learn how to use it.  If you can afford it, we could use your financial support.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our organization to help us educate the public about sustainable energy.  If you can’t afford to make a tax-deductible donation, you can still follow us on our socials. RMP is active on Threads, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon. Please give us follow if you’re interested in the lithium-ion battery supply chain or any other environmental science RMP tracks. Or enter your email address below to subscribe to our blog.

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