People today are talking about Blue Hydrogen, Green Hydrogen, Biofuels, Solar Energy etc. to help fight the climate change. But why has it become more important now than ever before and how can Blue Hydrogen help us fight the climate change. The population of the world crossed the 8 billion mark on 15 Nov, 2022 and which is really astonishing because it was only half the number in 1980s. This huge increase in population in the last four decades has resulted in unprecedented demand for energy use. The world until now had been using oil, gas and coal to fulfill its energy requirements but studies and researches have shown how it is impacting the climate change due to global warming. The world leaders have acknowledged this problem and are now racing with time towards transforming their energy infrastructure into a sustainable one. Among many such promising technologies, one such option is Blue Hydrogen.
What is the need of Blue Hydrogen?
The biggest problem with using fossil fuels like coal and oil as energy sources is that these sources release greenhouse gases– mainly carbon dioxide which is the main contributor in global warming. Coal and oil is used in factories, transportation and power plants which releases a lot of pollutants and GHGs. GHGs are not only released when these energy sources are used but also when these are extracted from below the surface of the Earth, thus, contributing to global warming and ultimately towards climate change. We need to be utilizing energy sources that do not release GHGs or whose emissions are minimum and can be managed well and could help us achieve net zero targets. Blue hydrogen is one such solution.
Primary Green House GasesWhat is Blue Hydrogen? | How is Blue Hydrogen made?
Blue Hydrogen is simply hydrogen which can be used as a fuel and is produced using a process called steam methane reforming (SMR), where natural gas is reacted with steam to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Wait a second, carbon dioxide is produced as well? So how can it be environmentally friendly? Well, the answer lies in the fact that this carbon dioxide is collected or captured at source itself and stored (typically in underground geological formations). The carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology used in blue hydrogen production has been used in various industrial applications for decades but due to the increasing focus on decarbonizing the energy sector, the use of CCS in hydrogen production has only recently gained massive attention.
Then clean hydrogen produced is distributed to potential consumers. The overall reaction for producing blue hydrogen can be written as:
CH4 + 2H2O → CO2 + 4H2
When hydrogen is burned for energy, it gives out only water as a byproduct.
The chemical reaction for hydrogen combustion can be represented as follows:
2H2 (g) + O2 (g) → 2H2O (l)
This reaction is highly efficient, as hydrogen has a high energy content and burns cleanly, producing only water as a byproduct.
Advantages of Blue Hydrogen
The biggest advantage of using Blue Hydrogen is it is a cleaner form of energy source as compared to traditionally carbon intensive energy sources like coal and oil and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector.
The other advantage is that since the Blue Hydrogen is produced from natural gas, it can be produced with the help of existing infrastructure with minimal investments as compared to green hydrogen.
In addition, blue hydrogen has a higher energy density than other fuels such as batteries or biofuels due to which it can be used in a wider range of applications like heavy-duty transportation or industrial processes that require high energy input.
Challenges of Blue Hydrogen
It sounds so good with low carbon footprint and less capital intensive in setting up the production plant then where is the problem one may ask. Well, the problem lies in transporting the captured carbon and storing it below Earth’s surface. Normally the production plant and the storage site are observed to be miles away, thus, requiring huge investments in logistics. However, as CCS technology continues to develop and mature, the cost of CCS is expected to decrease.
Apart from that, blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas and natural gas reserves are located only at some specific locations and could prove to be hinderance at other locations where the natural gas reserves are not present.
The biggest challenge about the use of Blue Hydrogen is the question that arises based on its sustainability aspect as it is produced from natural gas which itself is a fossil fuel and perpetuates its use. This has led some to question whether blue hydrogen is truly a sustainable solution, or if it is simply a transition fuel that will be replaced by greener alternatives in the future.
Conclusion
Blue Hydrogen is not the perfect solution towards a sustainable future as it is not a zero emission option but it is a low-carbon alternative to other sources of energy that are carbon intensive. While it faces several challenges, continued investment in CCS technology and the development of more sustainable sources of natural gas could help unlock the full potential of blue hydrogen. To become a reliable option in the energy sector, monitoring and verification of the carbon capture and storage process needs to be done effectively to ensure that carbon dioxide is safely stored and not released into the atmosphere. Overall, blue hydrogen has the potential to help decarbonize a range of sectors and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, however, it is important to note that blue hydrogen is not a zero-emissions solution, as it still requires the use of fossil fuels and carbon capture and storage technology to mitigate carbon emissions.