Analysis of environmental benefits resulting from use of hydrogen technology in handling operations at airports

Airports and nearby areas are currently facing an increasing pollution due to the growth of air transport traffic. Airport air pollution is produced not only by aircraft during landing and take-off cycles but also by the ground support equipment (GSE) during the airport handling activities. This paper investigates the potential of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for GSE vehicles to mitigate the airport air pollution. For this purpose, a methodology is developed to assess the environmental benefits attainable with the introduction of hydrogen technology for GSE vehicles powered by proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. This methodology compares, for a given scenario, the direct emissions produced by fuel combustion and the indirect emissions related to fuel production for both diesel and hydrogen technologies. Steam methane reforming and electrolysis technologies are investigated for the production of gaseous hydrogen at the airport. The pollutants investigated comprise carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. The main inputs for the methodology are the number of air transport movements, the aircraft fleet mix, the turnaround times for handling operations, the type of GSEs used, and the ratio of GSE vehicles converted to hydrogen (type, power installed, etc.). A preliminary cost analysis of a ground power unit powered by PEM fuel cells is also presented. The airport planners and policy makers can use this study to define a feasible environmental policy based on the use of new technologies such as hydrogen.