Site-Dependent Environmental Impacts of Industrial Hydrogen Production by Alkaline Water Electrolysis

Industrial hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis (AEL) is a mature hydrogen production method. One argument in favor of AEL when supplied with renewable energy is its environmental superiority against conventional fossil-based hydrogen production. However, today electricity from the na...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energies (Basel) 2017-07, Vol.10 (7), p.860
Main Authors: Koj, Jan, Wulf, Christina, Schreiber, Andrea, Zapp, Petra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkaline water
alkaline water electrolysis
Austria
Climate change
Electricity
Electrolysis
Emissions
Energy
Energy sources
Environmental impact
Germany
Hydrogen
Hydrogen production
Industrial applications
life cycle assessment
Renewable energy sources
Site selection
Social factors
Software
Spain
Studies
Sustainability
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Summary:Industrial hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis (AEL) is a mature hydrogen production method. One argument in favor of AEL when supplied with renewable energy is its environmental superiority against conventional fossil-based hydrogen production. However, today electricity from the national grid is widely utilized for industrial applications of AEL. Also, the ban on asbestos membranes led to a change in performance patterns, making a detailed assessment necessary. This study presents a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using the GaBi software (version 6.115, thinkstep, Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany), revealing inventory data and environmental impacts for industrial hydrogen production by latest AELs (6 MW, Zirfon membranes) in three different countries (Austria, Germany and Spain) with corresponding grid mixes. The results confirm the dependence of most environmental effects from the operation phase and specifically the site-dependent electricity mix. Construction of system components and the replacement of cell stacks make a minor contribution. At present, considering the three countries, AEL can be operated in the most environmentally friendly fashion in Austria. Concerning the construction of AEL plants the materials nickel and polytetrafluoroethylene in particular, used for cell manufacturing, revealed significant contributions to the environmental burden.
ISSN:1996-1073
1996-1073
DOI:10.3390/en10070860