Electrolysis is a technique that is used to drive a non-spontaneous chemical reaction to occur with the assistance of an outside electric current. An important use of this technique is to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, in order to obtain hydrogen. This hydrogen can then be utilized as a fuel in a hydrogen fuel cell. It can also be used to produce fertilizers to grow crops. Another type of electrolysis is gel electrophoresis which is a technique which uses a gel to separate substances, for example, DNA into its components, based on electrical charge. In order to do this process, a solution containing ions, two plates or electrodes and an electric current are needed. Electrolysis is also used to separate elements in naturally occurring ores.