<
https://scitechdaily.com/switching-to-hydrogen-fuel-could-cause-long-term-climate-consequences/>
"Research conducted by Princeton University and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Association suggests that a chemical reaction in the lower
atmosphere could restrict the potential of hydrogen as a clean fuel.
The reason for this is that hydrogen gas reacts readily in the atmosphere with
the same molecule responsible for breaking down methane, which is a potent
greenhouse gas. If the level of hydrogen emissions surpasses a specific
threshold, this shared reaction is likely to result in an accumulation of
methane in the atmosphere, leading to long-term climate consequences.
“Hydrogen is theoretically the fuel of the future,” said Matteo Bertagni, a
postdoctoral researcher at the High Meadows Environmental Institute working on
the Carbon Mitigation Initiative. “In practice, though, it poses many
environmental and technological concerns that still need to be addressed.”
Bertagni is the first author of a research article published in
Nature
Communications, in which researchers modeled the effect of hydrogen emissions
on atmospheric methane. They found that above a certain threshold, even when
replacing fossil fuel usage, a leaky hydrogen economy could cause near-term
environmental harm by increasing the amount of methane in the atmosphere. The
risk for harm is compounded for hydrogen production methods using methane as an
input, highlighting the critical need to manage and minimize emissions from
hydrogen production.
“We have a lot to learn about the consequences of using hydrogen, so the switch
to hydrogen, a seemingly clean fuel, doesn’t create new environmental
challenges,” said Amilcare Porporato, Thomas J. Wu ’94 Professor of Civil and
Environmental Engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute.
Porporato is a principal investigator and member of the Leadership Team for the
Carbon Mitigation Initiative and is also associated faculty at the Andlinger
Center for Energy and the Environment.
The problem boils down to one small, difficult-to-measure molecule known as the
hydroxyl radical (OH). Often dubbed “the detergent of the troposphere,” OH
plays a critical role in eliminating greenhouse gases such as methane and ozone
from the atmosphere.
The hydroxyl radical also reacts with hydrogen gas in the atmosphere. And since
a limited amount of OH is generated each day, any spike in hydrogen emissions
means that more OH would be used to break down hydrogen, leaving less OH
available to break down methane. As a consequence, methane would stay longer in
the atmosphere, extending its warming impacts."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
