A new study has shown that hydrogen is not as environmentally friendly as previously thought. It contributes to the rise in global temperatures, writes Focus.
Hydrogen has long been considered a potential solution to the climate crisis on Earth. However, as a study published in the journal Nature shows, it also creates problems and plays its negative role in global warming, writes ScienceAlert.
Proponents of hydrogen hope that in the future it can be produced and used on a large scale in transportation and heavy industry, providing a clean alternative to fossil fuels, as it emits only water vapor.
But scientists have found that hydrogen has contributed to the rise in global temperatures on Earth by facilitating the longer retention of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere.
Hydrogen emissions increased from 1990 to 2020. This has led to hydrogen contributing to a rise in global temperature by 0.02 degrees Celsius in the overall increase of the average temperature on Earth by 1.5 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial period, as shown by new research.
According to scientists, a deeper understanding of the global hydrogen cycle and its connection to global warming is necessary to support a climate-safe sustainable hydrogen economy.
The study showed that the increase in hydrogen emissions is primarily related to human activity. This growth is associated with increased methane emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and livestock farming. These two molecules are interconnected: methane, when breaking down in the atmosphere, produces hydrogen.
Although hydrogen itself is not a pollutant, it indirectly contributes to global warming by absorbing natural cleansing agents that break down methane. This gas has a shorter lifespan than carbon dioxide.
According to scientists, the more hydrogen accumulates in the atmosphere, the less natural cleansing agents remain. As a result, methane persists longer and therefore contributes to temperature increases for a longer time. The interaction of hydrogen with natural cleansing agents also affects cloud formation and leads to the formation of greenhouse gases such as ozone and stratospheric water vapor.
Other sources of hydrogen in the atmosphere include emissions from industrial hydrogen production. Hydrogen can be obtained by passing an electric current through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen. However, today most hydrogen is produced from natural gas or coal, resulting in significant carbon dioxide emissions. The goal is to produce clean hydrogen on a large scale using renewable energy sources, but this process is costly.
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