Environmental Risks of Using Hydrogen
Recent scientific studies suggest that the swift transition to hydrogen fuel-powered vehicles could potentially have some unfavorable environmental impacts in the short run. Indeed, many automotive manufacturers such as Toyota have invested heavily in examining the feasibility and potential of this technology. In spite of this, it appears that there may be a few drawbacks associated with its immediate adoption.
In a collaborative exploration initiated by Princeton University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists have identified that hydrogen behaves in an unparalleled fashion with hydroxyl radical (OH), a molecule responsible for immobilizing greenhouse gases (e.g. methane) from the sky.
The investigation concluded that, if a certain hydrogen emission degree is exceeded, OH would no longer be able to carry out its vital duty, resulting in an apprehensive volume of methane being discharged into the atmosphere, calling forth unpredictable environmental problems.
Matteo Bertagni, lead researcher on the project, spoke to Sci Tech Daily regarding the potential effects of hydrogen being employed as an energy source, even if it supplants fossil fuels. Additionally, he indicated that the dangers become exacerbated with the various production procedures requiring methane.
Various environmental organizations argue that methane is responsible for 20% of the global warming effects, with a warming power nearly 80 times that of carbon dioxide. “In practice, however, there are numerous environmental and technological issues that must be tackled,” the study states. This implies that car manufacturers must still find means to reduce emissions generated during hydrogen production.
“Hydrogen, when released into the atmosphere, will lead to an accumulation of methane in the future,” said Bertagni. “Although hydrogen’s life in the atmosphere is only two years, the methane generated from it will continue to be present up to 30 years later.”
The figures do vary somewhat based on the methodologies employed to create hydrogen. Green hydrogen, achieved through hydrolysis of water with renewable energy sources, has an essential upper limit for emissions at 9%. If there is excess methane released during any facet of production, it could overwhelm the value attained from ditching fossil fuels.
“We still have a lot to learn about the implications of using hydrogen, so the transition to this seemingly clean fuel should not bring about any new environmental issues,” Amilcare Porporato explained. Even lower thresholds apply when it comes to blue hydrogen, which involves methane in the production process. According to the research, methane leakage should not exceed 4.5% in order to avoid exacerbating the atmospheric methane levels.
Despite the emissions-free nature of vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai, which produce only warm air and steam, a recent study has found that transportation and production of these cars may introduce a considerable risk of leakage.
The study is not discrediting hydrogen as a viable alternative to conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Electric Vehicle (EV) power, but rather underlining the need for additional research to ensure it is a truly sustainable form of propulsion. “If companies and governments are serious about investing money to develop hydrogen as a resource, they have to make sure they are doing it correctly and efficiently,” said Bertagni. “Ultimately, the hydrogen economy has to be constructed in a way that won’t undermine the progress made in other sectors to reduce carbon emissions.”
It appears that the ideal response has yet to arrive. Over the globe, ignition engines are gradually being illegalized along with available space being made for electric cars and the like. Yet even these battery-powered automobiles aren’t faultless; there’s no contaminated local outflows, but put together an EV can be a dirty process, as plenty of natural assets are needed to produce the batteries.
Synthetic fuels may yet be the answer to forthcoming mobility, albeit they will still yield some emissions – although these can be reduced to an altogether net-zero.
