TPO 9 Integrated essay

Both the reading and the listening discuss whether using using hydrogen fuel cells is better than using the Internal Combustion engine. The former argues that hydrogen fuel cells are advantageous for three reasons, whereas the later contradicts each of these points.

First of all, the author claims that since hydrogen is widely available and petroleum is limited, the usage of fuel cells will be helpful. However, the professor avers that although hydrogen is present in many sources, its form is unusable. Fuel cells require pure hydrogen in liquid state, which is produced artificially and require cooling technology to maintain and store it at -253 degree Celsius.

Second of all, the reading contends that usage of hydrogen fuel cells will decrease pollution, since burning of oil produces carbon dioxide, which causes pollution, whereas the burning of hydrogen produces water. On the other hand, the listening maintains that purifying hydrogen for use in fuel cells will be done in factories, which in turn use coal and oil, thus increasing pollution.

Finally, the text asserts that using hydrogen fuel cells will be economical, since hydrogen is twice as efficient as petroleum. In contrast, the lecturer rebuts that since fuel cells require Platinum, which is both rare and expensive, it will be costly to manufacture fuel cells. Platinum plays an important role in initiating the energy producing reaction and there are no alternatives to it.