It is possible to split water into hydrogen and water using a splitter that works on a battery bought from almost any shop.

The process, which emits no fossil fuels and emits no greenhouse gasses, is able to break down the liquid using a standard AAA battery.

It works by the battery sending an electronic current through two electrodes that split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Developed by researchers at Stanford University, the technology could mean huge changes to how we collect and store energy.

It may give us easier access to hydrogen and could potentially be used across a wide range of different industries, said Hongjie Dai who worked on the project.

“Hydrogen is an ideal fuel for powering vehicles, buildings and storing renewable energy on the grid,” said Dai.

“We’re very glad that we were able to make a catalyst that’s very active and low cost.

“This shows that through nanoscale engineering of materials we can really make a difference in how we make fuels and consume energy.”

Toyota is due to start selling hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars next year, however most of the hydrogen will be coming from large industrial plants that produce the gas using hot steam and natural gas.

The new process could, if it is scaled up, be used to split hydrogen in a much cheaper way than has previously been used.

Perhaps the technology could even be embedded into cars, enabling drivers to fuel up using water.

Dai said: “Using nickel and iron, which are cheap materials, we were able to make the electrocatalysts active enough to split water at room temperature with a single 1.5-volt battery.

“This is the first time anyone has used non-precious metal catalysts to split water at a voltage that low. It’s quite remarkable, because normally you need expensive metals, like platinum or iridium, to achieve that voltage.

“It’s been a constant pursuit for decades to make low-cost electrocatalysts with high activity and long durability.

“When we found out that a nickel-based catalyst is as effective as platinum, it came as a complete surprise.”

Image two courtesy of 360b / Shutterstock.com.