Chapter 19, Problem 19.32P

A steam—hydrocarbon reforming process is one method for producing hydrogen from fossil fuels for use in a fuel cell. In the first step, steam reacts with hydrocarbons, such as CH4 at high temperatures in the presence of a catalyst, yielding H₂ and CO. In the second step, the reaction of CO and H₂O called the water-gas shift reaction removes toxic carbon monoxide and produces more hydrogen.
Step 1: ${\text{H}}_{\text{2}}\text{O}\left(\text{g}\right){\text{ + CH}}_{\text{4}}\left(\text{g}\right)\to \text{CO}\left(\text{g}\right){\text{ + 3 H}}_{\text{2}}\left(\text{g}\right)$
Step 2: $\text{CO}\left(\text{g}\right){\text{ + H}}_{\text{2}}\text{O}\left(\text{g}\right)\to {\text{CO}}_{\text{2}}\left(\text{g}\right){\text{ + H}}_{\text{2}}\left(\text{g}\right)$
(a) In step 1, which element is oxidized and which is reduced?
(b) In step 2, which element is oxidized and which is reduced? What is the oxidizing agent and reducing agent?
(c) What are drawbacks of steam reforming in the production of hydrogen?