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Life cycle assessment of ISPRA Mark 9 thermochemical cycle for nuclear hydrogen production
Author(s) -
Utgikar Vivek,
Ward Bradley
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.1598
Subject(s) - greenhouse gas , raw material , thermochemical cycle , life cycle assessment , environmental science , hydrogen , waste management , hydrogen production , steam reforming , methane , natural gas , electrolysis , nuclear engineering , chemistry , production (economics) , engineering , ecology , macroeconomics , organic chemistry , economics , electrode , electrolyte , biology
The nuclear energy driven thermochemical cycle is one of the potential water‐splitting processes for producing hydrogen, presumed to be the transportation fuel of the future. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of one such system, which utilizes nuclear energy to drive the ISPRA Mark 9 thermochemical cycle, is presented in this paper. The results of the LCA are presented in terms of the emissions of greenhouse gases (CO 2 ‐equivalent) and acid gases (SO 2 ‐equivalent). The contributions of the thermochemical plant to the emissions were determined through the estimation of material and energy requirements for chemical inventory, raw materials consumption and plant fabrication/installation. The greenhouse gas emissions from the system are 2515 g CO 2 ‐equivalent kg −1 H 2 produced and acid gas emissions 11.252 g SO 2 ‐equivalent kg −1 H 2 produced. A comparison of this hydrogen production route with other routes, including steam reforming of methane and high‐temperature electrolysis, is also presented in the paper. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry