Comparison of environmental and economic aspects of various hydrogen production methods

A wide variety of processes are available for hydrogen production from gaseous or liquid fuels. They differ according to the nature of the primary fuel used (ammonia, methanol, ethanol, gaseous or liquid hydrocarbons, water) and to the chemical reactions involved (decomposition, steam reforming, partial oxidation, electrolysis, gasification). As recent technology progress makes hydrogen a realistic long-term energy option with little or no pollution, developments of new methods for its production and improvement of conventional technology are important. This paper analyzes the recent development of hydrogen production technologies followed by an overview of conventional and renewable energy sources and a discussion about enviro-economic aspects for hydrogen production methods. The results show that although renewable energy resources cannot entirely satisfy the energy demand but electrolysis associated with solar energy, wind power, hydropower and biomass are available renewable sources for significant hydrogen production. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.