# creating water **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2003, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392 "2003-01-03T08:40:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/1 "2003-01-03T08:40:09Z")
Let’s say there’s a drought. Your (enter location name here) region needs rainfall and there ain’t none in sight. (Double negatives with non-words be damned!) Could you, if the scale was large enough, ECONOMICALLY create water out of stores of hydrogen and oxygen? That is, with enough tanks of gas, could you make enough water to supply a small town? City? Large city? And where could you get these large supplies of gasses to make the water from? There are coastal cities that spend fortunes on desalinization plants, is this a viable alternative? (Since I don’t believe they have been created yet, I assume the answer is a resounding no. But I like knowing why.=) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/2 "2003-01-03T08:49:35Z")
Hydrogen is far more valuable as fuel than as an ingredient for water. If you had an abundant supply of hydrogen, it would make much more sense to sell the hydrogen and use that money to transport water or build a desalination plant. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/3 "2003-01-03T10:47:45Z")
Well, seeing as how the space shuttle does exactly that to reach orbit, it would certainly be feasable. However, to get water quickly requires such an exothermic reaction that I doubt the citizenry would be greatful. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/4 "2003-01-03T13:46:01Z")
Free hydrogen doesn’t exist in any significant quantity in nature. To make it, you’d probably have to start with electrolyzing water, which makes it pointless to then go and make the hydrogen back into water. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/5 "2003-01-03T15:50:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AndrewL \* > \*\*Free hydrogen doesn’t exist in any significant quantity in nature. To make it, you’d probably have to start with electrolyzing water, which makes it pointless to then go and make the hydrogen back into water. \*\* It takes more energy to break up water into hydrogen & oxygen, than you get from burning hydrogen (& oxygen). So, as **AndrewL** says it is a pointless exercise. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/6 "2003-01-03T16:36:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AndrewL \* > \*\*Free hydrogen doesn’t exist in any significant quantity in nature. \*\* True, but you don’t need pure hydrogen to create water. You could burn any hydrocarbon (coal, oil or natural gas) - it will produce CO2 and water. Which, as I said, is a huge waste of fuel if all you need is the water. ---
**Author:** ![andy\_fl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/7 "2003-01-03T16:54:42Z")
You will need in the range of 1250 gallons of Hydrogen (at approx room temp/pressure conditions) to make one gallon of water. Water from fuels is chemically water, but you’ll need to process it a lot before making it portable. Other option is Desalination. (if a sea is nearby) Other option is seeding CLouds with Silver salts. Other option is Tugging a Ice Berg from the poles. (sea nearby) Other option is to pump water from where there is. There are devices to make water for survival in tough battlefields. But those are not economical on large scales. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/8 "2003-01-03T23:20:22Z")
::is too late to offer helpful information:: ::bad joke about making water:: ---
**Author:** ![MadScientistMatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@MadScientistMatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadScientistMatt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/9 "2003-01-03T23:33:04Z")
> [@](#): > > There are coastal cities that spend fortunes on desalinization plants, is this a viable alternative? (Since I don’t believe they have been created yet, I assume the answer is a resounding no. But I like knowing why.=) Actually, they’re quite viable. The Bahamas get their tap water using them. The water there tastes a bit strange but is certainly drinkable. ---
**Author:** ![MadScientistMatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@MadScientistMatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadScientistMatt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creating-water/146392/10 "2003-01-03T23:40:10Z")
Oops, misread your post. I somehow thought you said desalinization plants were not viable. Anyway, what the others have said simply sums it up - it’s usually easier to transport the water as water than as hydrogen or hydrocarbons.