Utilization of gamma-ray irradiation for hydrogen production from water

A technique has been proposed to promote hydrogen production from water by increasing the energy deposition in water through the conversion of γ-ray to low-energy electrons, which is achieved by putting solid materials into water. Simulation studies by the MCNP code indicate that the average deposited energy in water can be increased by optimizing geometry of the materials. In the present experiments using Al2O3 particles of various average diameters, the maximum amount of hydrogen produced is 3.48 μmol/cm3 for the water containing Al2O3 particles of 3 μm diameter, which is more than two order of magnitude larger of the H2 produced in water-only configuration. (author)