Class 11th

9.50. The basic principle of hydrogen economy is the transportation and storage ofenergy in the form of liquid or gaseous dihydrogen. Advantage of hydrogen economyis that energy is transmitted in the form ofdihydrogen and not as electric power. It is for the first time in the history of India that a pilot project using dihydrogen as fuel was launched in October 2005 for running automobiles.Initially 5% dihydrogen has been mixed in CNG for use in four-wheeler vehicles. The percentage of dihydrogen would be gradually increased to reach the optimum level. Nowadays, it is also used in fuel cells for generation of electric power. It is expected that economically viable and safe sources of dihydrogen will be identified in the years to come, for its usage as a common source ofenergy.

9.49. Some of the uses of H₂O₂ are listed below:

(i) In daily life it is used as a hair bleach andas a mild disinfectant. As an antiseptic it is sold in the market as perhydrol.

(ii) It is used to manufacture chemicals like sodium perborate and percarbonate, which are used in high quality detergents.

(iii) It is used in the synthesis of hydroquinone, tartaric acid and certain food products and pharmaceuticals (cephalosporin) etc.

(iv) It is employed in the industries as ableaching agent for textiles, paper pulp, leather, oils, fats, etc.

(v) Nowadays it is also used in Environmental (Green) Chemistry. For example, in pollution control treatment of domestic and industrial effluents, oxidation of cyanides, restoration of aerobic conditions to sewage wastes, etc.