As natural resources dwindle and gas prices rise, the need for hydrogen and other renewable fuels is rising. For the technology sector, this means finding newer and more efficient ways to produce ultrapure hydrogen, or hydrogen that, during the process of separating it from a parent source, is at 99.9999999 percent purity or greater. (For a more detailed explanation of the term, count the repetitions of the number nine.) For many pursuits, hydrogen that isn’t pure isn’t worth using.

Fortunately, engineers have been hard at work for years on improving hydrogen separation technology, and reliable hydrogen purification methods already exist. (At Power+Energy, we constantly strive to build purifiers that are more efficient and compact.) Over the years, ultrapure hydrogen has been used for these (and many other) purposes):

Ultrapure Hydrogen is an alternative energy source. Hydrogen vehicles use hydrogen as fuel to generate motion. Some of these vehicles internally combust the hydrogen, in a fashion similar to gasoline-powered vehicles, while others utilize fuel cells. In terms of environmental stewardship, fuel-cell cars are more responsible, as their only emissions are carbon dioxide and water.

Ultrapure hydrogen is used to make light-emitting diodes. Through a process known as metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, hydrogen is used to create light-emitting diodes or LEDs, which are used as indicator lights in everyday devices like remote controls and MP3 players; light sources such as flashlights and headlights; and traffic lights.

Ultrapure hydrogen is used to make semiconductors. Through the same process used to create LEDs, ultrapure hydrogen can be used to make semiconductors, or materials whose electrical conductivity is an intermediate between a conductor and an insulator. Semiconductors are used for just about every piece of high technology available, from computers to cellular phones to automated teller machines.

Ultrapure hydrogen is used in rocket fuel. For this use it’s not always ultrapure – often liquid hydrogen is mixed with liquid oxygen to form an extremely combustible mixture. But the hydrogen must first be purified.