Current Trends and Future Developments on (Bio-) Membranes

New Perspectives on Hydrogen Production, Separation, and Utilization

Adolfo Iulianelli, Angelo Basile

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780128173848
• eBook ISBN: 9780128173855
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

In the last decade, the attention paid to the environmental protection has generated a considerable interest towards the development of new energy carriers and green energy production methods. Hydrogen as an energy carrier becomes a potential important source of energy due to its neutral environmental impact. However, its production, transformation and purification, presents a challenge in the so called hydrogen economy. Current Trends and Future Developments on (Bio-) Membranes gives a comprehensive review on the present state of the art of the hydrogen production and purification using new and alternative technologies stressing green processes and environment protection. The book covers green processes, renewable feedstocks utilization and membrane reactor technology for hydrogen production in line with new process intensification strategy.The book is divided in four sections, ie fundamentals of hydrogen generation, its impact on environmental issue, new applications involving hydrogen and its storage and distribution. The main scope of this book is to offer a new horizon on hydrogen generation and utilization. It stresses the role of new technologies for hydrogen generation, including the "micro-reactors technology for portable applications, their combination with high temperature fuel cells, the role of gas-separation for both hydrogen purification and CO2 sequestration, the exploitation of renewable sources (biogas, bioethanol and other renewables feedstocks) in reforming processes useful to generate hydrogen, membrane and membrane reactor technology as well as membrane bio-reactors etc.- Presents process intensification and commercialization of new and alternative hydrogen generation technologies- Relates new hydrogen production methods to their environmental impact- Outlines the fundamentals of hydrogen generation- Includes new developed technologies for hydrogen transport and storage

Part One

Alternative sources of hydrogen

1: Hydrogen energy: State of the art and perspectives

Stephen J. McPhail ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy

Abstract

This chapter is a critical discussion of the new wave of interest in hydrogen as a universal energy vector, covering the international economic and environmental context and addressing the priorities for policy and decision-makers in the next decade. The technology in producing, harnessing, and converting hydrogen has made steady progress and is capable of achieving a reliability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness that now starts to match the expectations of large-scale industries and world trade. The momentum should be maintained to drive through a competitive value proposition for hydrogen in key application areas, while the legal and societal framework are adapted to adequately adopt this most versatile of chemical energy carriers.

Keywords

Hydrogen deployment; Emissions; Energy carrier; Hydrogen production; Industry; Hydrogen cost perspectives; Social impact; Future actions and trends

List of acronyms

BC black carbon

CNG compressed natural gas

COP Conference of the Parties

FCEV fuel cell electric vehicle

GDP gross domestic product

HRS hydrogen refilling stations

IEA international energy agency

IPCC international panel for climate change

NMVOCs nonmethane volatile organic compounds

PM particulate matter

R&D research and development

RCS regulations, codes, and standards

UNFCC United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change

1: Introduction

Hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in this universe. It combines readily with other chemical elements, and on Earth, it is always found as part of another substance (water, ammonia, methane, cellulose, sugars, etc.). In its purest chemical form, it exists as a molecular bond of two proton-neutron pairs (H₂) and is gaseous at ambient temperature, with the lowest density of all gases but the highest gravimetric calorific value. It liquefies at − 252.9°C and solidifies at − 259.1°C.

In a nutshell, this summarizes the entire paradigm of hydrogen in its use as a commodity on Earth: superabundant, volatile and reactive, and energy dense but hard to harness. From this compound of properties, the entire discussion unfolds as to the potential of hydrogen as a clean, universal energy carrier, and substance intermediate. A discussion that has been on the tables of scientists, policy makers and the global industry since the first oil crisis of the 1970s and a topic that is still under cross-fire from supporters and opponents alike, each with their (well-informed) arguments and (well-motivated) agenda. Fifty years on, what is the status of hydrogen technologies and systems, what are the latest resolutions in terms of political roadmaps, and what are the perspectives of an incipient, or illusory, “hydrogen economy”?

2: Energy, GDP, and emissions

An important issue that ties in with this discussion is the progressive debate on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is adamant about the urgency of cutting down emissions to below the levels of 1990, to prevent global warming reaching 2°C: a value considered to trigger a precipitating cycle of global environmental events, potentially catastrophic for human civilization. High-level political initiatives echo this, such as the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) series [1], and with many ambitious statements and targets being issued that should prevent this from happening. The fate of these political intentions is various, being influenced by economic contingency, legacy technologies and their lobbies, popular preference, and changing legislatures.

After the surge in mitigating action following the Paris Agreement in 2015, CO₂ emissions are up again for the second year running (2017 and 2018), in line with global economic growth and associated increase in energy use [2]. This is, however, above all related to massive coal utilization in China and natural gas in the United States, two countries who have not shown particular willingness to adhere to international promises regarding action on global warming. In Europe, on the contrary, CO₂ emissions are continuously being cut down, also thanks to progressively stringent targets set by the European Union—and adopted by the Member States—and by concrete implementation of associated measures in terms of energy efficiency and increased penetration of renewable energy sources. Still, the decoupling of CO₂ emissions from economic growth and energy use is far from being achieved. Despite massive reductions in CO₂ emissions from the power generating sector (thanks to greater plant efficiencies, phasing out of coal, growing utilization of photovoltaics and wind energy), hard-to-abate industrial activities such as transport and manufacturing (heavy-duty transport and steel production alone account for nearly 20% of the world's CO₂ emissions ...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Preface
• Part One: Alternative sources of hydrogen
• Part Two: Alternative technologies for H2 production
• Part Three: Membrane technologies for H2 separation and purification
• Part Four: Utilization of hydrogen
• Index