Hydrogen is often heralded as the clean fuel of the future. When used in fuel cells, it emits nothing but water. It can decarbonise heavy industry, replace natural gas, and store renewable electricity over long periods. But there’s a problem: most of the hydrogen we use today is far from clean.
Currently, around 95% of global hydrogen is made from fossil fuels — mostly methane — in processes that release CO₂. So if hydrogen is going to help us meet climate goals in Northern Europe, Canada, and beyond, we’ll need to rethink how we produce it.
Fortunately, researchers are already doing just that. A new study by scientists in Universiti Teknologi MARA [3.1°N, 101.5°E] explores the smartest ways to make hydrogen using renewable resources. Their work doesn’t propose a single miracle solution, but rather an adaptable, multi-pathway strategy that balances cost, energy use, and emissions. In other words: how to make hydrogen the right way, in the right place, at the right time.
How Is Hydrogen Made — and Why Does It Matter?
Hydrogen doesn’t occur freely in large quantities near the Earth’s surface (with the recent exception of “white hydrogen”). Otherwise, “extraction” means producing it;
- made from methane via steam methane reforming (SMR); cheap, but high in emissions.
- as above but with added carbon capture and storage (CCS); cleaner, but more expensive and complex.
- by splitting water using electricity from renewables (electrolysis); the cleanest, but currently the most expensive.
The new Malaysian study evaluates these and other methods, including biomass gasification and photo-electrochemical water splitting, comparing their efficiency, cost, and emissions across different regions and energy systems.
The Takeaway: There’s No One Best Method
The study shows that the “ideal” method of producing hydrogen depends heavily on context:
- In countries with abundant solar energy and falling photovoltaic costs (such as Pakistan or parts of Southern Europe), solar-powered electrolysis offers a scalable path to green hydrogen.
- In biomass-rich regions (like parts of Canada or Scandinavia), thermochemical gasification of organic waste may be more practical and circular.
- In areas with existing fossil infrastructure but strong decarbonisation targets, blue hydrogen with CCS may act as a temporary bridge — provided the carbon really is captured and stored securely.
What matters, the authors argue, is not just the purity of the hydrogen, but how well the production method integrates with local energy, water, and resource systems.
Smarter Electrolysis: Doing More with Less
Electrolysis — splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen — is often seen as the gold standard for green hydrogen. But it comes with trade-offs: it’s energy-intensive, it requires fresh water, and it’s still costly.
That’s why much of today’s innovation is focused on making electrolysis more efficient, affordable, and regionally adaptable:
- Autothermal reforming, which uses internal heat to reduce energy demands.
- Catalyst improvements, using materials like nickel or manganese instead of expensive platinum.
- Seawater electrolysis, which could be game-changing for coastal areas with water constraints.
- Electrolysers that run flexibly, responding to peaks and troughs in solar or wind availability.
Many of these improvements are already being tested in Northern Europe, where electrolysers are being installed at wind farms, industrial sites, and ports.
Hydrogen That Thinks Ahead: Intelligent Systems Integration
What sets this new generation of hydrogen research apart is not just its chemistry, but its systems thinking. The Pakistan–Malaysia study proposes an “intelligent framework” that factors in:
- Capital and operational costs
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Water usage
- Land footprint
- Energy return on investment
By modelling hydrogen systems with these inputs, policymakers and energy planners can choose production methods that are sustainable not just in emissions, but across all key resources.
This approach echoes what’s already happening in parts of Canada, where pilot projects are evaluating hydrogen hubs not only for energy output, but for their social and ecological impacts.
Hydrogen That Works for the Real World
Hydrogen can’t solve every energy problem. But it’s a crucial tool for sectors that are hard to electrify, such as steelmaking, long-distance transport, and seasonal energy storage. What this research makes clear is that it matters how we produce it — just as much as where and why we use it.
Green hydrogen made from solar in Spain, from wind in Scotland, from hydro in Québec, or from waste biomass in British Columbia — all have roles to play. But they must be crafted intelligently, not blindly scaled.
The future of hydrogen isn’t just about molecules. It’s about designing systems that are clean, efficient, and circular by design. And that, if done right, could make all the difference.
Source
A systematic review on environmentally friendly hydrogen production methods: comparative analysis of reactor technologies for optimal efficiency and sustainability, Sustainable Chemistry for Climate Action, 2025-05-12
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