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1.4.4 - Hydrogen H2

Hydrogen is colourless, combustible, non poisonous, odourless and very much lighter than air. In conjunction with chlorine or oxygen, hydrogen forms highly detonating, explosive mixtures. Hydrogen burns with a barely visible light blue flame to form water vapour1. If it exudes at high speeds, there is a danger of autoignition. Hydrogen is of extraordinary biological importance. By far the greater part of the muscle energy developed by organisms is derived from a step-by-step oxidation of the hydrogen linked to C-chains which amount to a share of 10% of the total body weight in the human organism. Hydrogen is obtained through the catalytic steam cracking of mineral gas and as a by-product from petrochemical processes in refineries and coking plants. Hydrogen is traded in red coloured steel bottles at a pressure of 200 bar. For example about 19.1 thousand million m3 of hydrogen is annually consumed in Germany. Of this, 33.5% is used as chemical raw material for ammonia, as well as methanol and in metallurgy, 47.5% is used as fuel gas for industrial processes and 19.0% in the mineral oil industry for synthetic fuels. However, the world-wide hydrogen consumption amounts to about 500 000 million m3 per year.