Abstract
Fossil fuels are being progressively substituted by a cleaner and more environmentally friendly form of energy, where hydrogen fuel cells stand out. However, the implementation of a competitive hydrogen economy still presents several challenges related to economic costs, required infrastructures, and environmental performance. In this context, the objective of this work is to determine the environmental performance of the recovery of hydrogen from industrial waste gas streams to feed high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells for stationary applications. The life-cycle assessment (LCA) analyzed alternative scenarios with different process configurations, considering as functional unit 1 kg of hydrogen produced, 1 kWh of energy obtained, and 1 kg of inlet flow. The results make the recovery of hydrogen from waste streams environmentally preferable over alternative processes like methane reforming or coal gasification. The production of the fuel cell device resulted in high contributions in the abiotic depletion potential and acidification potential, mainly due to the presence of platinum metal in the anode and cathode. The design and operation conditions that defined a more favorable scenario are the availability of a pressurized waste gas stream, the use of photovoltaic electricity, and the implementation of an energy recovery system for the residual methane stream.
Highlights
As the rural population is progressively moving to urban areas and cities, more and more people are being exposed to pollution levels that exceed the recommended levels for air quality
The two streams considered for hydrogen recovery were the tail gas of a coke oven (COG) and the ammonia purge gas (APG)
The functional unit (FU) was 1 kWh of energy obtained from the fuel cell, which provided further information about the environmental burdens associated with the complete process and its viability as an energy source
Summary
As the rural population is progressively moving to urban areas and cities, more and more people are being exposed to pollution levels that exceed the recommended levels for air quality. This situation is more critical in undeveloped and developing countries, but even in developed countries, more than. Energy consumption of buildings is among the largest of society, accounting for around 40% of the total energy consumptions and 36% of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in Europe [4] Within this sector, residential buildings constitute about 75% of the total
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