Szczegóły publikacji
Opis bibliograficzny
Life and water cycle assessment of natural hydrogen exploitation for energetic purposes / Michał KACZMARCZYK, Barbara TOMASZEWSKA, Leszek Lankof, Bogusław Bielec // Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews ; ISSN 1364-0321 . — 2026 — vol. 238 art. no. 117100, s. 1-22. — Bibliogr. s. 18-22, Abstr. — Publikacja dostępna online od: 2026-05-13
Autorzy (4)
- AGHKaczmarczyk Michał
- AGHTomaszewska Barbara
- Lankof Leszek
- Bielec Bogusław
Słowa kluczowe
Dane bibliometryczne
| ID BaDAP | 167847 |
|---|---|
| Data dodania do BaDAP | 2026-06-02 |
| Tekst źródłowy | URL |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.rser.2026.117100 |
| Rok publikacji | 2026 |
| Typ publikacji | artykuł w czasopiśmie |
| Otwarty dostęp |  |
| Czasopismo/seria | Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews |
Abstract
Natural hydrogen has recently attracted growing attention as a potentially low-emission energy carrier, but its environmental performance and long-term sustainability remain insufficiently understood. This review assesses current knowledge of the life cycle and water-related implications of natural hydrogen exploitation for energy purposes, with particular attention to carbon footprint, energy-related impacts, and comparisons with other hydrogen production pathways. The analysis indicates that natural hydrogen may offer a substantially lower life-cycle carbon footprint than grey and blue hydrogen, mainly because it does not require conventional fossil-based hydrogen production processes. However, its environmental advantage is conditional rather than inherent and depends strongly on gas composition, hydrogen purity, co-produced methane and CO2 management, separation requirements, energy use for compression and transport, and fugitive hydrogen emissions control. The review also shows that natural hydrogen may require less water over its life cycle than electrolysis-based hydrogen, which is an important advantage in water-constrained regions. At the same time, the study identifies major limitations that currently prevent robust classification of natural hydrogen as a renewable resource, including the lack of reliable estimates of global resources, insufficient knowledge of geological regeneration rates, limited field-scale operational data, and the absence of standardized life-cycle assessment protocols tailored to geological hydrogen systems. Overall, the results indicate that natural hydrogen may become a credible low-emission complement to other hydrogen pathways, but only if future research confirms favourable reservoir behaviour, low-emission extraction conditions, and transparent environmental assessment methods.
