Assessment of the potential for hydrogen production from renewable resources in Argentina

The potential for hydrogen production from three major renewable resources (wind energy, solar energy and biomass) in Argentina is analyzed. This potential for the annual production of wind, solar and biomass hydrogen is represented with maps showing it per unit area in each department. Thus, by using renewable resource databases available in the country, a new Geographic Information System (GIS) of renewable hydrogen is created. In this system, several geographic variables are displayed, in addition to other parameters such as the potential for renewable hydrogen production per department relative to transport fuel consumption of each province or the environmental savings that would imply the production of hydrogen required to add 20% V/V to CNG, with the aim of developing the cleaner alternative CNG + H₂ fuel. In order to take into account areas where energy development would be restricted, land use and environmental exclusions were considered.     

Political,economic and environmental impacts of biomass-based hydrogen

The purpose of this study is to assess the political, economic and environmental impacts of producing hydrogen from biomass. Hydrogen is a promising renewable fuel for transportation and domestic applications. Hydrogen is a secondary form of energy that has to be manufactured like electricity. The promise of hydrogen as an energy carrier that can provide pollution-free, carbon-free power and fuels for buildings, industry, and transport makes it a potentially critical player in our energy future. Currently, most hydrogen is derived from non-renewable resources by steam reforming in which fossil fuels, primarily natural gas, but could in principle be generated from renewable resources such as biomass by gasification. Hydrogen production from fossil fuels is not renewable and produces at least the same amount of CO₂ as the direct combustion of the fossil fuel. The production of hydrogen from biomass has several advantages compared to that of fossil fuels. The major problem in utilization of hydrogen gas as a fuel is its unavailability in nature and the need for inexpensive production methods. Hydrogen production using steam reforming methane is the most economical method among the current commercial processes. These processes use non-renewable energy sources to produce hydrogen and are not sustainable. It is believed that in the future biomass can become an important sustainable source of hydrogen. Several studies have shown that the cost of producing hydrogen from biomass is strongly dependent on the cost of the feedstock. Biomass, in particular, could be a low-cost option for some countries. Therefore, a cost-effective energy-production process could be achieved in which agricultural wastes and various other biomasses are recycled to produce hydrogen economically. Policy interest in moving towards a hydrogen-based economy is rising, largely because converting hydrogen into useable energy can be more efficient than fossil fuels and has the virtue of only producing water as the by-product of the process. Achieving large-scale changes to develop a sustained hydrogen economy requires a large amount of planning and cooperation at national and international alike levels.     

A review of hydrogen production via biomass gasification and its prospect in Bangladesh

Hydrogen has been using as one of the green fuel along with conventional fossil fuels which has enormous prospect. A new dimension of hydrogen energy technology can reduce the dependency on non-renewable energy sources due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels. Hydrogen production via Biomass (Municipal solid waste, Agricultural waste and forest residue) gasification is one of the promising and economic technologies. The study highlights the hydrogen production potential from biomass through gasification technology and review the parameters effect of hydrogen production such as temperature, pressure, biomass and agent ratio, equivalence ratios, bed material, gasifying agents and catalysts effect. The study also covers the all associated steps of hydrogen separation and purification, WGS reaction, cleaning and drying, membrane separation and pressure swing adsorption (PSA). To meet the huge and rising energy demand, many countries made a multidimensional power development plan by adding different renewable, nuclear and fossil fuel sources. A large amount of biomass (total biomass production in Bangladesh is 47.71 million ton coal equivalent where 37.16, 3.49 and 7.04 MTCE are agricultural, MSW and forest residue based biomass respectively by 2016) is produced from daily uses by a big number of populations in a country. It also includes total feature of biomass gasification plant in Bangladesh.     

Hydrogen from biomass – Present scenario and future prospects

Hydrogen is considered in many countries to be an important alternative energy vector and a bridge to a sustainable energy future. Hydrogen is not an energy source. It is not primary energy existing freely in nature. Hydrogen is a secondary form of energy that has to be manufactured like electricity. It is an energy carrier. Hydrogen can be produced from a wide variety of primary energy sources and different production technologies. About half of all the hydrogen as currently produced is obtained from thermo catalytic and gasification processes using natural gas as a starting material, heavy oils and naphtha make up the next largest source, followed by coal. Currently, much research has been focused on sustainable and environmental friendly energy from biomass to replace conventional fossil fuels. Biomass can be considered as the best option and has the largest potential, which meets energy requirements and could insure fuel supply in the future. Biomass and biomass-derived fuels can be used to produce hydrogen sustainably. Biomass gasification offers the earliest and most economical route for the production of renewable hydrogen.     

Systematic analysis of biomass derived fuels for fuel cells

As the demand for energy continuously increases, alternatives to fossil resources must be found to both prevent fossil source depletion and decrease overall environmental impact. One solution is increasing contributions from renewable, biological feedstock, and from wastes. This paper presents an analysis of the current methods of biomass conversion, to extract biofuels and biologically produced gases to then be used in fuel cells. Pathways for converting biomass feedstock into fuel cell fuels selected here were anaerobic digestion, metabolic processing, fermentation, gasification, and supercritical water gasification, which were compared to natural gas and fossil hydrogen reference cases. These thermochemical and biological conversion pathways can also make use of residues from agriculture, forestry, or some household and industry wastes, producing hydrogen and hydrogen-rich gases. Solid oxide fuel cells were also found to be the preferred technology for such bio-derived fuel gases, due to their wide range of fuel options, wide scalability from single kW to multi 100 kW, and high efficiency.     

Life-cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emission and energy efficiency of hydrogen fuel cell scooters

The well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis of energy conservation and greenhouse gas emission of advanced scooters associated with new transportation fuels is studied in the present work. Focus is placed on fuel cell scooter technologies, while the gasoline-powered scooter equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE) serves as a reference technology. The effect of various pathways of hydrogen production on the well-to-tank (WTT) efficiency for energy is examined. Both near-term and long-term hydrogen production options are explored, such as purification of coke oven gas (COG), steam reforming of natural gas, water electrolysis by generation mix and renewable electricity, and gasification of herbaceous biomass. Then, the WTW efficiency of fuel cell scooters for various hydrogen production options is compared with that of the conventional ICE scooters and electric scooters. Results showed that the fuel cell scooters fueled with COG-based hydrogen could achieve the highest reduction benefits in energy consumption and GHG emission. Finally, the potential for hydrogen production from COG resulting from the coking process in steelworks is evaluated, which is anticipated as a near-term hydrogen production for helping transition to a hydrogen energy economy in Taiwan.     

Effective utilization of by-product oxygen from electrolysis hydrogen production

To avoid fossil-fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, hydrogen should be produced by renewable energy resources. Water electrolysis using proton exchange membrane (PEM) is considered a promising hydrogen-production method, although the cost of the hydrogen from PEM would be very high compared with that from other mature technologies, such as steam methane reforming (SMR). In this study, we focus on the effective utilization of by-product oxygen from electrolysis hydrogen production and discuss the potential demand for it, as well as evaluating its contribution to improving process efficiency. Taking as an example the utilization of by-product oxygen for medical use, we compare the relative costs of hydrogen production by means of PEM electrolysis and SMR.     

Integrated hydrogen production options based on renewable and nuclear energy sources

Due to varied global challenges, potential energy solutions are needed to reduce environmental impact and improve sustainability. Many of the renewable energy resources are of limited applicability due to their reliability, quality, quantity, and density. Thus, the need remains for additional sustainable and reliable energy sources that are sufficient for large-scale energy supply to complement and/or back up renewable energy sources. Nuclear energy has the potential to contribute a significant share of energy supply with very limited impacts to global climate change. Hydrogen production via thermochemical water decomposition is a potential process for direct utilization of nuclear thermal energy. Nuclear hydrogen and power systems can complement renewable energy sources by enabling them to meet a larger extent of global energy demand by providing energy when the wind does not blow, the sun does not shine, and geothermal and hydropower energies are not available. Thermochemical water splitting with a copper–chlorine (Cu–Cl) cycle could be linked with nuclear and selected renewable energy sources to decompose water into its constituents, oxygen and hydrogen, through intermediate copper and chlorine compounds. In this study, we present an integrated system approach to couple nuclear and renewable energy systems for hydrogen production. In this regard, nuclear and renewable energy systems are reviewed to establish some appropriate integrated system options for hydrogen production by a thermochemical cycle such as Cu–Cl cycle. Several possible applications involving nuclear independent and nuclear assisted renewable hydrogen production are proposed and discussed. Some of the considered options include storage of hydrogen and its conversion to electricity by fuel cells when needed.     

Renewable-powered hydrogen economy from Australia's perspective

This article broadly reviews the state-of-the-art technologies for hydrogen production routes, and methods of renewable integration. It outlines the main techno-economic enabler factors for Australia to transform and lead the regional energy market. Two main categories for competitive and commercial-scale hydrogen production routes in Australia are identified: 1) electrolysis powered by renewable, and 2) fossil fuel cracking via steam methane reforming (SMR) or coal gasification which must be coupled with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). It is reported that Australia is able to competitively lower the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) to a record $(1.88–2.30)/kg_H2 for SMR technologies, and $(2.02–2.47)/kg_H2 for black-coal gasification technologies. Comparatively, the LCOH via electrolysis technologies is in the range of $(4.78–5.84)/kg_H2 for the alkaline electrolysis (AE) and $(6.08–7.43)/kg_H2 for the proton exchange membrane (PEM) counterparts. Nevertheless, hydrogen production must be linked to the right infrastructure in transport-storage-conversion to demonstrate appealing business models.     

A comprehensive review on hydrogen production from coal gasification: Challenges and Opportunities

This paper comparatively discusses hydrogen production options through coal gasification, including plasma methods, and evaluate them for practical applications. In this regard, it focuses on numerous aspects of hydrogen production from coal gasification, including (i) state of the art and comparative evaluation, (ii) environmental and economic dimensions, (iii) energetic and exergetic aspects, (iv) challenges, opportunities and future directions. Furthermore, this review paper outlines what differences it brings in and what contributions it makes to the current literature about such a significant domain of potential hydrogen production which can be used as clean fuel, energy carrier and feedstock. Accordingly, this comprehensive review offers some results as follows: (i) plasma gasification system produces higher amount of hydrogen from other gasification processes, (ii) less amounts of solid wastes (slag, ash, tar, etc.) are released during plasma gasification process compared to other gasification processes, and (iii) it is overall more sustainable Thus, plasma gasification is proposed as a potential option for hydrogen fuel production from coals and for practical application in energy sector. As a case study, some plasma gasifiers in the literature are analyzed in terms of the exergetic sustainability. Furthermore, the case study results show that the exergetic sustainability index decreases from 0.642 to 0.186, and the exergetic efficiency drops from 0.342 to 0.156, while the environmental impact factor increases from 1.556 to 5.372 with an increase of waste exergy ratio from 0.839 to 0.532, respectively.     

Assessment of sustainable high temperature hydrogen production technologies

Apart from being a major feedstock for chemical production, hydrogen is also a very promising energy carrier for the future energy. Currently hydrogen is predominantly produced via fossil routes, but as green energy sources are gaining a larger role in the energy mix, novel and green production routes are emerging. The most abundant renewable hydrogen sources are water and biomass, which allow several possible processing routes, such as electrolysis, thermochemical cycles and gasification. By introducing heat to the process the required electricity demand can be reduced (high temperature electrolysis) or practically eliminated (thermochemical cycles). Each renewable hydrogen production route has its own strength and weaknesses; the choice of the most suitable method is always dependent on the economical potentials and the location. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the different high temperature, renewable hydrogen production technologies.     

A thorough analysis of renewable hydrogen projects development in Uzbekistan using MCDM methods

The energy supply system of Uzbekistan is not well positioned to meet the rapidly rising domestic energy demand of this country. Uzbekistan's current energy supply system is outdated and has very low diversity, as most of its energy comes from natural gas. In addition to producing immense amounts of greenhouse gas and environmental pollution, this situation is untenable considering the eventual depletion of fossil fuel reserves of this country. Uzbekistan's renewable energy sector is highly undeveloped, a situation that can be attributed to the lack of coherent policies for the advancement of renewable power and the low price of natural gas. However, this country has significant untapped renewable potentials, especially wind energy, that can perform a significant performance in the country's power generation plans. Also, producing hydrogen from renewable power can provide a good alternative to fossil fuels and help meet the needs of the Uzbek industrial sector, especially oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. In this study, the suitability of 17 regions in Uzbekistan for wind-powered hydrogen production was analyzed in terms of 16 sub-criteria in four categories of technical, economic, social, and environmental factors. To obtain robust results, the ranking was performed using a hybrid of BWM and EDAS, as well as WASPAS, ARAS, and WSM techniques. The weighting results exhibited the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH), and Annual Energy Production (AEP) to be the most important sub-criteria for this evaluation. Nukus, Buhara, and Kungrad were introduced as the top three most appropriate locations for hydrogen development from wind plants. It was estimated that using 2000 kW turbines, a wind-powered hydrogen production plant built in the Nukus region can achieve an annual power output of 4432.7 MW and annual hydrogen output of 71.752 tons.     

Syngas suitability for solid oxide fuel cells applications produced via biomass steam gasification process: Experimental and modeling analysis

The technologies and the processes for the use of biomass as an energy source are not always environmental friendly. It is worth to develop approaches aimed at a more sustainable exploitation of biomass, avoiding whenever possible direct combustion and rather pursuing fuel upgrade paths, also considering direct conversion to electricity through fuel cells. In this context, it is of particular interest the development of the biomass gasification technology for synthesis gas (i.e., syngas) production, and the utilization of the obtained gas in fuel cells systems, in order to generate energy from renewable resources. Among the different kind of fuel cells, SOFCs (solid oxide fuel cells), which can be fed with different type of fuels, seem to be also suitable for this type of gaseous fuel. In this work, the syngas composition produced by means of a continuous biomass steam gasifier (fixed bed) has been characterized. The hydrogen concentration in the syngas is around 60%. The system is equipped with a catalytic filter for syngas purification and some preliminary tests coupling the system with a SOFCs stack are shown. The data on the syngas composition and temperature profile measured during the experimental activity have been used to calibrate a 2-dimensional thermodynamic equilibrium model.     

Neural network modeling of biomass gasification for hydrogen production

Hydrogen plays a significant role as an alternative feedstock in the production of several industrial chemicals such as methanol and ammonia; it can also be used as a clean fuel for power generation in the Internal Combustion (IC) engines and Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The main objective of this work is to develop a computer-based model based on the experimental data to predict the gasification behavior of biomass particles for hydrogen and syngas production. The results showed that an increase in gasification temperature significantly increased the hydrogen yield and CGE. The maximum CGE also found to be increased by about 230% when the reaction temperature increases from 700 to 900 ^?C.     

PEM electrolysis for production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources

PEM electrolysis is a viable alternative for generation of hydrogen from renewable energy sources. Several possible applications are discussed, including grid independent and grid assisted hydrogen generation, use of an electrolyzer for peak shaving, and integrated systems both grid connected and grid independent where electrolytically generated hydrogen is stored and then via fuel cell converted back to electricity when needed. Specific issues regarding the use of PEM electrolyzer in the renewable energy systems are addressed, such as sizing of electrolyzer, intermittent operation, output pressure, oxygen generation, water consumption and efficiency.     

Hydrogen economy for a sustainable development: state-of-the-art and technological perspectives

Sustainable energy is becoming of increasing concern world-wide. The rapid growth of global climate changes along with the fear of energy supply shortage is creating a large consensus about the potential benefits of a hydrogen economy coming from renewable energy sources. The interesting perspectives are over-shadowed by uncertainties about the development of key technologies, such as renewable energy sources, advanced production processes, fuel cells, metal hydrides, nanostructures, standards and codes, and so on. The availability of critical technologies can create a base for the start of the hydrogen economy, as a fuel and energy carrier alternative to the current fossil resources. This paper will explore the rationale for such a revolution in the energy sector, will describe the state-of-the-art of major related technologies (fuel cell, storage systems, fuel cell vehicles) and current niche applications, and will sketch scientific and technological challenges and recommendations for research and development (R&D) initiatives to accelerate the pace for the widespread introduction of a hydrogen economy.     

Potential of hydrogen from oil palm biomass as a source of renewable energy worldwide

Various catastrophes related to extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes, droughts and heat waves occurring on the Earth in the recent times are definitely a clear warning sign from nature questioning our ability to protect the environment and ultimately the Earth itself. Progressive release of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as CO₂ and CH₄ from development of various energy-intensive industries has ultimately caused human civilization to pay its debt. Realizing the urgency of reducing emissions and yet simultaneously catering to needs of industries, researches and scientists conclude that renewable energy is the perfect candidate to fulfill both parties requirement. Renewable energy provides an effective option for the provision of energy services from the technical point of view. In this context, biomass appears as one important renewable source of energy. Biomass has been a major source of energy in the world until before industrialization when fossil fuels become dominant and researches have proven from time to time its viability for large-scale production. Although there has been some successful industrial-scale production of renewable energy from biomass, generally this industry still faces a lot of challenges including the availability of economically viable technology, sophisticated and sustainable natural resources management, and proper market strategies under competitive energy markets. Amidst these challenges, the development and implementation of suitable policies by the local policy-makers is still the single and most important factor that can determine a successful utilization of renewable energy in a particular country. Ultimately, the race to the end line must begin with the proof of biomass ability to sustain in a long run as a sustainable and reliable source of renewable energy. Thus, the aim of this paper is to present the potential availability of oil palm biomass that can be converted to hydrogen (leading candidate positioned as the energy of the millennium) through gasification reaction in supercritical water, as a source of renewable energy to policy-makers. Oil palm topped the ranking as number 1 fruit crops in terms of production for the year 2007 with 36.90 million tonnes produced or 35.90% of the total edible oil in the world. Its potentiality is further enhanced by the fact that oil constitutes only about 10% of the palm production, while the rest 90% is biomass. With a world oil palm biomass production annually of about 184.6 million tons, the maximum theoretical yield of hydrogen potentially produced by oil palm biomass via this method is 2.16×10¹⁰ kg H₂ year⁻¹ with an energy content of 2.59 EJ year⁻¹, meeting almost 50% of the current worldwide hydrogen demand.     

Hydrogen and syngas production from sewage sludge via steam gasification

High temperature steam gasification is an attractive alternative technology which can allow one to obtain high percentage of hydrogen in the syngas from low-grade fuels. Gasification is considered a clean technology for energy conversion without environmental impact using biomass and solid wastes as feedstock. Sewage sludge is considered a renewable fuel because it is sustainable and has good potential for energy recovery. In this investigation, sewage sludge samples were gasified at various temperatures to determine the evolutionary behavior of syngas characteristics and other properties of the syngas produced. The syngas characteristics were evaluated in terms of syngas yield, hydrogen production, syngas chemical analysis, and efficiency of energy conversion. In addition to gasification experiments, pyrolysis experiments were conducted for evaluating the performance of gasification over pyrolysis. The increase in reactor temperature resulted in increased generation of hydrogen. Hydrogen yield at 1000 °C was found to be 0.076 g_gas g_sample⁻¹. Steam as the gasifying agent increased the hydrogen yield three times as compared to air gasification. Sewage sludge gasification results were compared with other samples, such as, paper, food wastes and plastics. The time duration for sewage sludge gasification was longer as compared to other samples. On the other hand sewage sludge yielded more hydrogen than that from paper and food wastes.     

A review on prospect of Jatropha curcas for biodiesel in Indonesia

Energy is fundamental to the quality of life in the earth. Meeting the growing demand for energy sustainably is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. Indonesia is a developing country and the world's fourth most populous nation. Total annual energy consumption increased from 300,147 GWh in 1980, 625,500 GWh in 1990, 1,123,928 in 2000 and to 1,490,892 in 2009 at an average annual increase of 2.9%. Presently, fossil-fuel-based energies are the major sources of energy in Indonesia. During the last 12 years, Indonesia has recorded the most severe reduction in fossil fuel supplies in the entire Asia-Pacific region. This reduction has stimulated promoting the usage of renewable energy resources capable of simultaneously balancing economic and social development with environmental protection. Biodiesel is an alternative and environmentally friendly fuel that will participate in increasing renewable energy supply. Jatropha curcas is one of biodiesel resources that offer immediate and sustained greenhouse gas advantages over other biodiesel resources. Globally, J. curcas has created an interest for researchers because it is non-edible oil, does not create a food versus fuel conflict and can be used to produce biodiesel with same or better performance results when testing in diesel engines.The present study is concerned with the prospect of biodiesel produced from J. curcas in Indonesia. The first part gives a summary and overview of energy resources and consumption in the country, second part discusses the potential of biodiesel as a powerful renewable energy resource and third part investigates the potential of J. curcas as a feedstock for biodiesel in Indonesia. The final part discusses the development of biodiesel market in Indonesia. The paper found out that the production of biodiesel from J. curcas offers many social, economical and environmental benefits for the country and can play a great role to solve the problem of energy crisis in Indonesia.