RESOURCES 13: Blue Hydrogen

Case Study Annotations in Perusall

  • On the Climate Impacts of Blue Hydrogen Production
    • Abstract. Natural gas based hydrogen production with carbon capture and storage is referred to as blue hydrogen. If substantial amounts of CO2 from natural gas reforming are captured and permanently stored, such hydrogen could be a low-carbon energy carrier. However, recent research raises questions about the effective climate impacts of blue hydrogen from a life cycle perspective. Our analysis sheds light on the relevant issues and provides a balanced perspective on the impacts on climate change associated with blue hydrogen. We show that such impacts may indeed vary over large ranges and depend on only a few key parameters: the methane emission rate of the natural gas supply chain, the CO2 removal rate at the hydrogen production plant, and the global warming metric applied. State-of-the-art reforming with high CO2 capture rates combined with natural gas supply featuring low methane emissions does indeed allow for substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to both conventional natural gas reforming and direct combustion of natural gas. Under such conditions, blue hydrogen is compatible with low-carbon economies and features climate change impacts in line with green hydrogen from electrolysis supplied with renewable electricity. However, neither current blue nor green hydrogen production pathways render fully “net-zero” hydrogen without additional carbon dioxide removal. Download case study here: CASE STUDY- Blue Hydrogen.pdf Download CASE STUDY- Blue Hydrogen.pdf

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Optional Reading

  • Life Cycle Assessment of Various Hydrogen Production Methods
    • Abstract. A comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) is reported for five methods of hydrogen production, namely steam reforming of natural gas, coal gasification, water electrolysis via wind and solar electrolysis, and thermochemical water splitting with a CueCl cycle. Carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and energy equivalents of each method are quantified and compared. A case study is presented for a hydrogen fueling station in Toronto, Canada, and nearby hydrogen resources close to the fueling station. In terms of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, thermochemical water splitting with the CueCl cycle is found to be advantageous over the other methods, followed by wind and solar electrolysis. In terms of hydrogen production capacities, natural gas steam reforming, coal gasification and thermochemical water splitting with the CueCl cycle methods are found to be
      advantageous over the renewable energy methods. Download optional reading here: Life cycle assessment of various hydrogen production methods.pdf Download Life cycle assessment of various hydrogen production methods.pdf

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