Hydrogen

Hydrogen is simplest and plentiful item in the universe. It releases high energy during the
electrochemical process and does not release any toxic gases. It can be produced through
diverse energy resources. Currently, drivers of light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) can
fuel up at retail stations in less than 5 minutes and obtain a driving range of more than 300
miles. A life cycle analysis is the act of measuring the environmental impact of a product or
service throughout its life cycle, from the resources used to create the product or service,
across its use by the user, to its final end of life destination. An LCA measures the
environmental impacts of each distinct part involved in creating and using products and
services, such as energy used in production, fuel used in transport, and end-of-life ecological
costs.

Life Cycle of the hydrogen includes production, storage, transportation and consumption.
Production
The environmental impact, measured by evaluating hydrogen life cycle as fuel, varies
depending on the source of hydrogen, the process, and the complexity of the productive
chain. The basic mechanism underlying the manufacturing of the fuel cell is same as the one
for batteries. The primary difference is that the battery contains the reactants (i.e. fuel and
oxidant) that generate electricity whereas these reactants need to be supplied externally to
the fuel cell. In other words, a battery needs to be thrown away or recharged once those
reactants are depleted while the fuel cell can be refueled more easily and quickly by either
refilling the tank with fuel (hydrogen) or replacing the fuel reservoir. But as the nonrenewable
energy reservoirs will get depleted, the demand for hydrogen will increase. Production of
hydrogen includes a few nonenvironmental friendly factor like electrolysis using electricity
drawn from power grid. For the fuel cell, electricity is needed to generate hydrogen, which the
car tanks up on. Electricity is then produced from hydrogen again in the car. This double
conversion significantly reduces the efficiency level and make it much less environmentally
friendly than electric vehicles.

Storage and transportation of Hydrogen

It’s challenging to store and transport hydrogen fuel because of its high diffusivity, extremely
low density as a gas and liquid, and broad flammability range relative to hydrocarbons and
low-molecular-weight alcohols.  The kind of manufacture, transportation, and distribution
infrastructure required to support a hydrogen-based fuel cell vehicle will be tied directly to the
form of hydrogen used on board the vehicle. Hydrogen is generally transported as a
pressurized gas in pipelines or cylinder, a cryogenic liquid, and by blending it with natural gas.
There is a probability of leakage during loading hydrogen in tanks and pipelines. Hydrogen
being secondary greenhouse gases can affect global warming. Experiments suggest that
because hydrogen reacts in the atmosphere with tropospheric OH radicals, the emission of
hydrogen into the atmosphere would disrupt the distribution of methane and ozone, the
second and third most important greenhouse gasses. Also, hydrogen is sometimes transported
through large distances using pressurized cylinder via water and road ways. Usage of trucks
and ships for distribution also contributes to air and water pollution respectively.

Consumption
Hydrogen fuel can be used in vehicles, telecommunication, stationary power station, and
spacecraft propulsion. Hydrogen is an environment friendly fuel which does not emit any
harmful gases during the consumption process. It is not easy to use because of lack of
infrastructure. However, because of its highly flammable nature if not handled properly can
lead to huge social and environmental cost. Several of the hydrocarbon-based items can even
become a potential carcinogen. Therefore, switching over to hydrogen fuel cells will help to
reduce the exposure to the hazard.