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Hydrogen: The Future’s Fuel

Mohammad Yusuf*

1Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia .

Corresponding author Email: yusufshaikh.amu@gmail.com

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/OJPS06.01-02.06

The exploitation of fossil fuels at a tremendous scale, especially after the industrial revolution in the 18th century, has instigated damage to the environment. The usage of fossil-based fuels results in an excess accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs), i.e., mainly CH4 and CO2, in the atmosphere. This is the reason for decreased air quality, increased global warming, and disturbed seasonal variations in many world regions. The usage of Hydrogen (H2) as a fuel is a promising alternative to fossil fuels due to its high calorific value, clean-burning characteristics, and abundance availability from different feedstocks. H2 can be a game-changer in the fuel industry especially if utilized commercially in the transportation sector giving net-zero carbon emission. The recent research is going on the techno-economic feasibility of H2 production, and recently an Indian Oil & Gas conglomerate Reliance Industries pledged to produce blue H2 at $1.2-$1.5 /Kg. The concept of the H2 economy is encouraging and supports the pledges of the Paris Agreement. The different H2 production techniques, along with the corresponding color spectrum, have been discussed in this article. Finally, the prospects and advantages of green H2 have been discussed over its other color spectrum.

Environment; Fossil Fuels; Global Warming; Greenhouse Gases; Hydrogen Fuel

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Yusuf M. Hydrogen: The Future’s Fuel. Oriental Jornal of Physical Sciences 2021; 6(1,2). DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/OJPS06.01-02.06

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Publish History

Article Publishing History

Received: 20-01-2022
Accepted: 22-02-2022
Reviewed by: Orcid Orcid Dr. Deep Chakraborty
Second Review by: Orcid Orcid Dr. MGH Zaidi
Final Approval by: Prof. Susai Rajendran


Short Communication

‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ there is no doubt in this proverb by Plato. However, human is greedy, and due to this thirst to achieve bigger, the necessity becomes the sole objective of making profits. The industrial revolution in the 18th century began and was welcomed by different nations of the world, which helped attain a better standard of living. However, the development becomes a curse due to its sustainable nature. So is the case with the overexploitation of fossil fuels. The fossil fuel is formed in millions of years under the earth's crust, whereas it has been exploited over 75% in only two centuries 1–3 This tremendous usage of fossil fuels in a brief period resulted in the accumulation of GHGs in the earth's atmosphere 2, 3. This extreme accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere at such a pace resulted in the intense change in the climate all over the world 4, 5. The deterioration in air quality, the rising global temperature, droughts, flooding are some of the visible consequences of present scenarios 6, 7. The Paris Agreement held in 2015 aimed to control the global temperatures and their devastating consequences, which, however, seems unattainable to date. A promising alternative is needed (i.e., both in terms of techno-economic feasibility and carbon-free), which could act as a game-changer in the energy sector, and control the destructive results caused by the usage of fossil fuels 8. H2 usage can help in significant control of air quality if used in the transportation sector by reducing air pollution by 80%. Currently, H2 produced from polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers cost in the range of ~$5-$6/Kg, which is the most economic price as per the reports of DOE, USA 9 Further, the Indian Oil and Gas conglomerate Reliance industry pledged to deliver the economic blue H2 in the market at the rate of $1.2-$1.5/Kg by investing a sum of $4bn in the H2 energy sector. About 87% of total H2 is produced globally in 2020 which constitutes around 1% of the world’s energy consumption, which is expected to increase to 4% in 2030 and 13% by 2050, as per the reports of IEA 9.

The H2 is one such potential alternative fuel that could replace the fossil fuels from the market in the future 10, 11 The H2 has several added benefits over fossil-based fuels, which encourages researchers to commercialize it globally. The H2 on combustion gives out only water, which makes it a clean fuel. Further, it has a high calorific value when compared to fossil-based fuel and an abundance of cheap feedstock in the form of water if economic limitations are resolved 12-15 fossil-based fuels can be utilized for H2 production via reforming techniques. Also, due to increased emphasis on biodiesel production in the future, its waste bi-product, i.e., glycerol 13, can be used as a rich feedstock for H2 production, supporting the concept of waste to energy and circular economy 16. The H2 produced, however, is of utmost benefit if it is green hydrogen to support sustainable development 17. The H2 spectrum based on the process adopted for its production and the source of energy used has been summarized in Table 1.

Table 1: The Hydrogen Fuel Spectrum based on the Adopted Technique and Energy Source used for its Production.

S. No.

Class of H2 Fuel

Production Method

Major Findings

1.

Green

Electrolysis of water

The process is mainly solar, or wind-powered.

2.

Blue

Splitting natural gas into H2 and CO2 via reforming processes

CO2 produced with H2 during the reforming process is captured and stored.

3.

Grey

H2 is produced via fossil fuels like natural gas by gas reforming processes

CO2 generated during the process is not captured

and is released free into the atmosphere.

4.

Pink

Electrolysis of water

The process is mainly powered by nuclear energy.

5.

Turquoise

Pyrolysis of CH4 is done to produce H2

The carbon produced is stored in the solid form.

6.

Black or Brown

Gasification techniques

Black (bituminous) or brown (lignite) coal is used for gasification. This is most damaging to the environment.

7.

White

Naturally occurring H2 present underground in geological formations

These H2 deposits are formed via fracking. Presently they cannot be exploited because of technical limitations.
 

Around 90% of the world's H2 produced is grey in nature and produced from reforming fossil-based fuels 18–22. The green H2 is beneficial for replacing fossil-based fuels and will help eliminate the carbon footprints 23, 24. Hence, it can be concluded that the various colors of H2 production will vanish with time, whereas others will shine. Therefore, it may be summarized that the future of the H2 economy lies in the green, blue, and turquoise H2. This is due to the carbon capture scheme and the corresponding clean H2 production methodology. This predictive analysis is supported by the latest multibillion-dollar projects adopted by different private sectors and governments. The USA, U.K., Arabian Peninsula, Russia, and China are thriving very hard to be the largest stakeholder in the world of the H2 economy.

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