Accelerating Transition to a Low-Carbon Society: A Comprehensive Review of Hydrogen Production Technologies

Research by Hanyang University has emphasized the potential of clean hydrogen fuels from sustainable resources, such as biomass and water, in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The study provides a detailed analysis of various hydrogen production technologies, including fossil fuel-based processes, electrolysis-based routes, and biological methods. The research highlights the technological maturity, deployment status, and potential of each pathway to enhance the share of clean energy in the global renewable energy supply chain.

Key Takeaways:

• The study emphasizes the importance of transitioning towards a low-carbon society by producing clean hydrogen fuels from sustainable resources, which can effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The analysis covers various hydrogen production technologies, including fossil fuel-based processes, electrolysis-based routes, and biological methods, highlighting their technological maturity, deployment status, and potential to enhance the share of clean energy.
• The research identifies research gaps, prospects, and challenges for numerous upstream hydrogen generation from both biological and non-biological sources, focusing on enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving environmental performance.
• The study highlights the significance of photochemical, electrochemical, and photocatalytic hydrogen generation systems utilizing biomass and water as feedstocks, which have garnered significant attention.
• The technological advances in the downstream enrichment and storage of hydrogen gas, including opportunities, current challenges, and barriers associated with commercial applications, are critically evaluated.
• Metal-organic framework-based pressure swing adsorption, electrochemical hydrogen pumps, and metal hydrides are analyzed for their capacity to achieve high hydrogen purification (up to 99.99%) and enable a scalable storage solution.
• The economic and commercial feasibility of hydrogen production from biomass remains a substantial challenge due to the high production cost ($4.11-$7.45/kg H-2), which can be alleviated by appropriate biomass selection, the development of highly selective catalysts, the integration of different processes, and the application of artificial intelligence-/machine learning-driven models.

Statistics:

• The high production cost of hydrogen from biomass ranges from $4.11 to $7.45/kg H-2.
• The study highlights the need for developing highly selective catalysts to improve the economic and commercial feasibility of hydrogen production from biomass.
• The integration of different processes and the application of artificial intelligence-/machine learning-driven models can alleviate the high production cost of hydrogen from biomass.
• The study emphasizes the importance of upstream hydrogen generation from both biological and non-biological sources to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve environmental performance.

Sources:

• Emerging Approaches On Biomass and Water-based Hydrogen Production and Downstream Recovery Pathways: a Review On Recent Challenges and Prospects. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 2025.
• Hanyang University, Dept. of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering, Seoul 04763, South Korea.