It all starts with an idea

Inventor and scientist Michael Redwine was studying the Biblical account of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah calls upon God to send fire from the sky to consume a sacrifice drenched with water.

Being both a man of faith and a man of science, Michael reasoned that a lightning strike could have ignited the wet altar—and that such intense fire could only occur if the water itself had contributed as fuel.

During the 1970s, as scientists searched for solutions to the OPEC oil crisis, Michael became fascinated by the idea of using water as a sole source of fuel. He knew the key lay in harnessing hydrogen. The most common method at the time, electrolysis, required significant external power—making it inefficient.

Michael believed the secret to unlocking hydrogen efficiently was hidden in the same natural forces that fueled Elijah’s fire. In 1976, he built his first experimental apparatus and began testing different catalyst configurations. Progress was slow; friends jokingly labeled it “Redwine’s Folly.” Yet, after months of persistence, the device finally produced a small flame—proof that his concept worked and a glimpse into the potential of truly clean fuel.

That first flame, however, was both a triumph and a warning. The reaction produced a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gas—a combination as volatile as it is powerful. In one test, ignition produced such a strong thrust that a colleague’s eyebrows were singed from twenty-five feet away.

Realizing the need for a safe way to separate the gases, Michael paused his experiments. At that time, selective gas separation technologies were costly and limited, so he resolved to wait until the right tools and materials became available.

Nearly four decades later, in 2015, ONE SCIENTIFIC was founded to continue and complete Michael’s pioneering work.

Today, our mission remains simple and bold:

To make clean hydrogen affordable and accessible worldwide—an idea worthwhile.