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Renewable hydrogen will play a major role in energy transition towards a green economy. It is one of the most promising energy carriers and is also used in a great variety of industries worldwide.
Hydrogen does not emit CO₂ in its combustion, however, has some difficulties in storage (it is a small & light molecule, which requires a high volume in storage) and safety.
Fossil fuels, on the contrary, have a very high energy volumetric density, but do emit CO₂ and other GHG in their combustion process. This big problem needs to be solved, using for example hydrogen carriers, as methanol or ammonia.
Methanol, for instance, presents an economical advantage over almost all other alternatives for transoceanic hydrogen transport – except ammonia – and there is already an existing infrastructure. On the other hand, ammonia could be delivered and used directly as a product and presents an economically remarkable train transportation & distribution. However, both are toxic substances.
All hydrogen carriers have advantages and disadvantages that must be considered.
Javier Llabrés
Javier es doctor en química aplicada y Chief Technical Engineer en Sener, donde trabaja desde 2007. Actualmente, está enfocado en proyectos de I+D relacionados con el craqueo y síntesis de amoniaco y metanol, en el desarrollo de electrolizadores y generadores de hidrógeno mediante microondas, así como en proyectos en torno al transporte y producción de hidrógeno verde. Compagina su labor profesional con la docencia, como profesor asociado en la UAM.