United States Patent (19) 11 3,970,745 Takeuchi (45) July 20, 1976
United States Patent (19) 11 3,970,745 Takeuchi (45) July 20, 1976 (54) METHOD FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN son, vol. 3, 1949 Ed., p. 535, Reinhold Pub. Corp., FROM WATER New York. 75) Inventor: Norio Takeuchi, Isehara, Japan P. Pascal's “Nouveau Traite' de Chimie Minerale', Tome 8, 1963, pp. 54, 55; Masson et Cie., Paris, 73 Assignee: Director-General of the Agency of France. Industrial Science and Technology, J. W. Mellor's "A Comp. Treatise on Inorg. and Theo. Tokyo, Japan Chem.", vol. 7, Longmans, Green & Co., N. Y. 22 Filed: Mar. 24, 1975 Primary Examiner-Edward Stern (21 Appl. No.: 561,161 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-William J. Daniel 30 Foreign Application Priority Data 57 ABSTRACT May 9, 1974 Japan................................ 49-51.538 A method for producing hydrogen from water in May 17, 1974 Japan................................ 49-54504 which hydrogen is produced by reducing water using metallic germanium and the by-product, germanium 52 U.S. Cl................................... 423/657; 423193; monoxide, is reduced with a reducing agent to metal 423/532; 423/539; 423/655; 4231592 lic germanium which is recycled and reused. In this 51) Int. C.’.................so e s so C01B 1/07; COB 1102; case, it is necessary to regulate the oxidation of metal CO1G 7700 lic germanium so as to stop at the germanium monox (58) Field of Search............. 423/657, 539, 532, 93, ide stage since the reduction of germanium dioxide to 423/592 metallic germanium is difficult. Therefore, water 56) References Cited vapor is advantageously reduced by using not less than 1 mole of metallic germanium to 1 mole of water OTHER PUBLICATIONS vapor or it is indirectly reduced with an intermediate "Comp.
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