Abstract
Hydrogen systems are gaining importance in view of a progressive decarbonisation of societies, and becoming more and more cost-competitive alternatives in many sectors (e.g., mobility). However, the sustainability of these technologies must be carefully assessed following a holistic approach which embraces not only environmental but also social aspects. Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is an insightful methodology to evaluate potential social impacts of products along their life cycle. In the frame of the project eGHOST, social risks of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack were assessed through an S-LCA. The functional unit was defined as one 48 kW stack (balance of plant excluded), targeted for mobility applications. The supply chain was defined assuming Spain as the manufacturing country and involving from the material/energy production plants to the stack manufacturing. Beyond conventional life cycle inventory data, trade information and additional inventory data were retrieved from the UN Comtrade and PSILCA databases, respectively. Besides, working hours for the manufacturing plants of the stack and its subcomponents were calculated based on literature data. Social life cycle inventories were modelled and evaluated using openLCA and the PSILCA method. Two stakeholder categories, workers and society, were considered through the following social indicators: child labour, contribution to economic development, fair salary, forced labour, gender wage gap, and health expenditure. The choice of these indicators is in line with the eGHOST project purpose. Despite the relatively small amount contained in the product, platinum clearly arose as the main social hotspot under each of the selected indicators. At the level of component plants, the manufacturing of bipolar and end plates was also found to be relevant under some indicators. On the other hand, electricity consumption generally accounted for a minor contribution. Overall, in order to avoid burden shifting from environmental to social issues, a careful design of technologies is needed.
Highlights
Hydrogen technologies are expected to play a key role in achieving the decarbonisation objectives in the European energy transition [1]
The steep development and market penetration of Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH) systems could create environmental or social issues along their whole supply chain, for instance related to the presence of critical raw materials
This paper aims at assessing the social life-cycle impacts associated with the manufacturing of a 48 kW Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) stack, in the framework of the EUfunded project eGHOST [6]
Summary
Hydrogen technologies are expected to play a key role in achieving the decarbonisation objectives in the European energy transition [1]. This will imply enormous investments in the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH) sector and a sharp increase in the number of hydrogen production and use devices. Such a ramp-up of the sector will provide beneficial environmental and societal impacts, in particular related to pollution reduction and economic development [1].
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