Work

Life cycle greenhouse gas implications of low-carbon gaseous fuel supply chains from technological, geospatial, and temporal perspectives

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: There is a general consensus that achieving net-zero emissions will require the use of low-carbon hydrogen and its derivates, particularly in the hard-to-abate sectors. There is a recognition that this necessitates the development of a global hydrogen supply chain, which can be complex given that there are limited experiences worldwide. While hydrogen production emissions at the plant gate might be low, the emissions throughout their supply chains are not yet well understood. Here, we summarise key insights drawn from over 10,000 cases, analysing the supply of hydrogen from six renewables-rich regions and transporting it via different modes to two European markets, using six different chemical forms, including compressed-H2 (CH2), liquefied-H2 (LH2), synthetic natural gas (SNG), methylcyclohexane (MCH), ammonia (NH3), and methanol (MeOH). We discussed the implications on the overall energy efficiency, product losses throughout the supply chains, and life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from temporal, geospatial, and technological perspectives. The total loss of H2 and SNG throughout the supply chains was estimated to range from 0.8–11.0% per kg of gaseous fuel delivered, while the lifecycle GHG emissions ranged from 2–40 gCO2e/MJ in 2050, and increasing to 9–45 gCO2e/MJ when considering embodied emissions. Minimising energy consumption and losses by combining centralised/decentralised supply chain approaches resulted in the lowest GHG estimates, particularly when delivered as LH2/CH2, while the use of chemical carriers increases GHG emissions due to the hydrogen liberation step at the destination. Even when starting with a low carbon intensity H2 at the plant gate, the emissions associated with the supply chain can drive the emissions above the EU and UK regulatory limits. This paper further adds to the body of evidence pointing to the need for life cycle assessment (LCA)-based certification that is asset-specific and supply chain-specific for demonstrating compliance against regulatory limits or hydrogen standards globally.

Source: Energy Conversion and Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2025.119803