Ewha researchers assess the climate impact of waste-derived hydrogen in Energy Conversion and Management
Professor Wonjae Choi
Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering
A study led by Gyuna Kwak (first author; advisor: Dr. Wonjae Choi), with Yehyeong Lim as the second author, has been published in Energy Conversion and Management (IF=11.8, top 1.9% in JCR). The study evaluates the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of hydrogen produced from waste in South Korea, a country highly dependent on imported energy.
Waste-to-hydrogen can advance resource circularity and reduce energy import dependence, but its climate benefit depends on how the waste is currently used: incineration, power generation, or heat production. Reflecting these real-world conditions, the team compared eight pathways, including gasification, pyrolysis, and landfill gas and biogas utilization, and extended the analysis to hydrogen use in transport, power generation, and steel production.
Diverting solid refuse fuel and mixed plastic waste from power generation yielded greater emission reductions than diverting them from heat production. Several pathways combined with carbon capture and storage outperformed imported natural-gas-based hydrogen. Even hydrogen exceeding Korea’s clean hydrogen threshold (4 kg CO2-eq./kg-H2) could reduce emissions relative to fossil-based technologies, depending on the end-use sector and production pathway. The findings provide a basis for waste-based hydrogen supply strategies and clean hydrogen policy in energy-importing countries.
The research was supported by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).