A new study has been published in Nature Communications, which shows that above a certain threshold, hydrogen emissions can react with the same molecule responsible for breaking down methane and lead to decades-long climate consequences.
- Mar 14, 2023, 2:00 PM CDT
Hydrogen’s potential as a clean fuel could be limited by a chemical reaction in the lower atmosphere, which would cause decades-long climate consequences.This is because gas easily reacts in the atmosphere with the same molecule primarily responsible for breaking down methane, a potent greenhouse gas. If hydrogen emissions exceed a certain threshold, that shared reaction will likely lead to methane accumulating in the atmosphere with those decades-long climate consequences.
The problem boils down to one small, difficult-to-measure molecule known as the hydroxyl radical . Often dubbed “the detergent of the troposphere,” OH plays a critical role in eliminating greenhouse gases such as methane and ozone from the atmosphere. In the study, the researchers identified the tipping point at which hydrogen emissions would lead to an increase in atmospheric methane and thereby undermine some of the near-term benefits of hydrogen as a clean fuel. By identifying that threshold, the researchers established targets for managing hydrogen emissions.
“Managing leakage rates of hydrogen and methane will be critical,” Bertagni said. “If you have just a small amount of methane leakage and a bit of hydrogen leakage, then the blue hydrogen that you produce really might not be much better than using fossil fuels, at least for the next 20 to 30 years.”
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