Environmental Footprints of Hydrogen from Crops

Abstract

The environmental footprint of crops has become one of the main parameters for assessing the ecological impact of food production. However, with the development of renewable technologies for fuel and energy production from biomass-based feedstock, these environmental indicators were also extended to the energy sector. Among the fuels that are likely to soon increase its participation in the energy matrix, hydrogen must receive special attention due to its high energy content and carbon-free combustion. This fuel, however, remains dependent on fossil sources such as natural gas and oil-derived compounds, while production of the so-called “green hydrogen” remains a secondary option. Aiming to understand and quantify the potential decrease of environmental impact by moving toward more renewable hydrogen production pathways, several studies were carried out over the years in order to assess the real impact of this fuel’s production through land, water, energy, and other environmental indicators. In this sense, this chapter provides an up-to-date overview of the impact behind hydrogen production, including the three main options currently available: thermochemical processes, biological conversion, and electrolysis. Finally, the main findings allow a deep understanding of potential benefits to be achieved by making the hydrogen matrix more sustainable, while also presenting the main barriers that should be overcome in order for this goal to be achieved.