Touted as clean, 'blue' hydrogen may be worse than gas, coal

"Blue" hydrogen—an vigor root that involves a process for making hydrogen by utilizing methane successful earthy gas—is being lauded arsenic a clean, greenish vigor to assistance trim planetary warming. But Cornell and Stanford University researchers judge it whitethorn harm the clime much than burning fossil fuel.

The carbon footprint to make bluish hydrogen is much than 20% greater than utilizing either natural gas oregon ember straight for heat, oregon astir 60% greater than utilizing diesel lipid for heat, according to caller probe published successful Energy Science & Engineering.

Robert Howarth, prof of ecology and biology biology astatine Cornell, unneurotic with Mark Z. Jacobson, prof of civilian and biology engineering astatine Stanford, authored the report.

Blue hydrogen starts with converting methane to hydrogen and carbon dioxide by utilizing heat, steam and pressure, oregon grey hydrogen, but goes further to seizure immoderate of the c dioxide. Once the byproduct c dioxide and the different impurities are sequestered, it becomes bluish hydrogen, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The process to marque bluish hydrogen takes a ample magnitude of energy, according to the researchers, which is mostly provided by burning much earthy gas.

"In the past, nary effort was made to seizure the c dioxide byproduct of grey hydrogen, and the greenhouse state emissions person been huge," Howarth said. "Now the manufacture promotes bluish hydrogen arsenic a solution, an attack that inactive uses the methane from earthy gas, portion attempting to seizure the byproduct c dioxide. Unfortunately, emissions stay precise large."

Methane is simply a almighty greenhouse gas, Howarth said. It is much than 100 times stronger arsenic an atmospheric warming cause than c dioxide erstwhile archetypal emitted. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change report released connected Aug. 9 shows that cumulatively to day implicit the past century, methane has contributed astir two-thirds arsenic overmuch to planetary warming arsenic c dioxide has, helium said.

Emissions of bluish hydrogen are little than for grey hydrogen, but lone by astir 9% to 12%.

"Blue hydrogen is hardly emissions free," wrote the researchers. "Blue hydrogen arsenic a strategy lone works to the grade it is imaginable to store carbon dioxide semipermanent indefinitely into the aboriginal without leakage backmost to the atmosphere."

On Aug. 10, the U.S. Senate passed its mentation of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes respective cardinal dollars to develop, subsidize and fortify hydrogen exertion and its industry.

"Political forces whitethorn not person caught up with the subject yet," Howarth said. "Even progressive politicians whitethorn not recognize for what they're voting. Blue hydrogen sounds good, sounds modern and sounds similar a way to our vigor future. It is not."

An ecologically affable "green" hydrogen does exist, but it remains a tiny assemblage and it has not been commercially realized. Green hydrogen is achieved erstwhile h2o goes done electrolysis (with energy supplied by solar, upwind oregon hydroelectric power) and the h2o is separated into hydrogen and oxygen.

"The champion hydrogen, the greenish hydrogen derived from electrolysis—if utilized wisely and efficiently—can beryllium that way to a sustainable future," Howarth said. "Blue hydrogen is wholly different."

This probe was supported by a assistance from the Park Foundation. Howarth is simply a chap astatine the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.

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More information: Robert W. Howarth et al, How greenish is bluish hydrogen?, Energy Science & Engineering (2021). DOI: 10.1002/ese3.956