3.2 Hydrogen Production and Storage Technology

Public perception on safety of hydrogen transport and storage remains an obstacle despite being vouched for by safety professionals as safer than the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used in the kitchen and gasoline or petrol used in cars in terms of the risk of explosion and fire from a leakage. If the hydrogen leaks from the high-pressure tank, the leak is a buoyant high velocity jet that mixes with the air some distance from the tank or vehicle before catching fire if there is an ignition source.

Hydrogen energy deployment is unfortunately also constrained by its high cost of production from renewable resources and the high cost and low durability of fuel cells, the main energy conversion device for hydrogen that does not involve combustion. It could be used as fuel for transportation or for electricity generation using fuel cells.

3.1.1 Raw Material or Feedstock for Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen is commonly produced by steam methane reforming followed by water-gas shift reaction, gasification of coal followed by water-gas shift reaction, electrolytic water splitting, dark fermentation and photofermentation of wastewater. The common feedstocks for hydrogen production are natural gas, coal, biomass, wastewater and water.

Hydrogen from fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal without carbon capture and storage (CCS) or utilisation (CCU) are called grey hydrogen. Hydrogen from natural gas and coal with CCS and CCU are called blue hydrogen. Hydrogen from biomass or wastewater and water splitting by renewable energy with low or zero carbon emission is called green hydrogen.

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