Produce electrolytic hydrogen but do not violate the laws of thermodynamics

A proposal of electrolytic production of hydrogen “by a cost effective and cheaper route” published recently by Viswanath (Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 29 (2004) 1191) is analysed here. It is shown that the approach is conceptually invalid since it violates the laws of thermodynamics (e.g., “No free lunch”). Also, there are a number of other difficulties of experimental/electrochemical nature that arise in this work and which need to be clarified by the author.