HYDROGEN PRODUCTION

D&T RESEARCH

Much of the discourse you currently hear about hydrogen power is concerns around the cost of the fuel compared to traditional fossil fuels. I want to look into this to see if it is as much of concern as it is made out to be. With major companies such as AIRBUS investing heavily in the concept it cannot be too bad.

There are a wide variety of ways to produce hydrogen, some being sustainable and some not. The main methods currently used are steam methane reforming and electrolysis.

Steam methane is currently used to produce 95% of Europe’s hydrogen, but it isn’t exactly sustainable. This uses steam at a high temperature of 700-1000 °C to produce hydrogen from a methane source, such as natural gas or coal. When combined with a catalyst this gives rise to a reaction that generates CO, CO2, and hydrogen. The reason this is currently the most common method is because it is energy efficient, but it is still highly damaging to the environment. Carbon capture can be used to reduce this impact, but it is important to try and focus on more sustainable methods.

There is a sustainable way to generate Hydrogen and this is electrolysis. An electric current is used to split water into both oxygen and hydrogen. This means that when green energy the process is entirely CO2 neutral. It is currently more expensive requiring large amounts of costly green energy, but many studies indicate that this is expected to change in the coming years. This could make way for a truly sustainable way to fuel many things including air travel.

ZeroAvia have some promotional imagery which I think sums up this process well without getting overly complicated. Sustainable energy is used to convert water to hydrogen using electrolysis before being stored and then used to fuel planes. Obviously, this requires a large amount of infrastructure and development, but it sounds like a real solution.

ZeroAvia Promotional Material about Hyrogen Infrastructure

There have been studies into hydrogen aviation that have concluded that it would only be around 8% more expensive than a kerosene fleet. While this is obviously a large number when you are talking about a more than 500-billion-dollar industry, I feel it is a reasonable price to pay for such a drastic shift in emissions. Companies are aware that fossil fuels are running out and as hydrogen production is ramped up this cost is likely going to come down even further whereas traditional fossil fuels are more likely to rise. Investing in this technology now is probably the smartest choice for companies like AIRBUS and airlines alike.

USEFUL LINKS

DEMACO CRYOGENICS ON SUSTAINABLE HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
https://demaco-cryogenics.com/blog/steam-methane-reforming-to-green-hydrogen/#:~:text=This%20method%20uses%20biomass%20(and,biomass%20is%20a%20residual%20waste

SINTEF BLOG ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FUTURE OF GREEN HYDROGEN IN EUROPE
https://blog.sintef.com/sintefenergy/ccs/hydrogen-in-europe-executive-summary/

INFORMATION ABOUT ESTIMATED COSTS OF HYDROGEN AIRCRAFT COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL FUEL
https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/running-a-hydrogen-plane-could-be-cheaper-than-traditional-aircraft-by-2035/