Sustainability Indicators for the Manufacturing and Use of a Fuel Cell Prototype and Hydrogen Storage for Portable Uses

Abstract

A sustainability assessment regarding the manufacturing process and the use of a new proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), specially designed for portable hydrogen applications, is presented. The initial fuel cell prototype has been configured by taking into account exclusively technical issues. However, a life cycle analysis considering environmental and socioeconomic impacts is crucial to improve the model to develop a more sustainable product. From the environmental perspective, the durability of the system and its efficiency are key elements required to decrease the potential overall impacts. High electricity consumption for manufacturing requires a commitment to the use of renewable energies, due to the high current value of the projected impact of climate change (42.5 tonnes of CO2 eq). From the socioeconomic point of view, the dependence of imported components required for the synthesis of some materials displaces the effects of value added and employment in Spain, potentially concentrating the largest impact on countries such as Singapore, Japan and the UK, whereas the cell assembly would have a greater benefit for the country of fabrication. These results provide a basis for new research strategies since they can be considered standard values for improving future upgrades of the fuel cell in terms of sustainability.

Sustainability-Oriented Assessment of Fuel Cells—A Literature Review

“…Only four papers refer to all three sustainability dimensions [104][105][106][107]. Chen and Kim use indicators for evaluating all three dimensions-heat rate and efficiency percentage as indicators for energy efficiency calculation (ecological dimension), employment and payroll as indicators for the economic dimension, and a surcharge, a special tariff, as an indicator for the social dimension.…”

“…Garraín et al focus on LCA for evaluating the ecological dimension. Additionally, they conduct a multi-regional inputoutput assessment for analyzing the economical as well as the social dimensions [107]. Lozanovski et al use LCA, the total cost of ownership (TCO) methodology, and interviews to determine their ecological, economic, and social target figures.…”

An eco-technoeconomic analysis of hydrogen production using solid oxide electrolysis cells that accounts for long-term degradation

“…Thus, the presence of large amounts of lowcarbon power sources on the grid requires the use of storage systems to sequester surplus energy (Sgobbi et al, 2016). At present, batteries are the most common commercial energy storage systems in use, but their practical application is still somewhat limited due to their finite lifetime, use of limited rare earth materials, as well as environmental concerns relating to the carbon-intensive process used in their production and the water and air pollution caused by their disposal (Wang et al, 2010;Garraín et al, 2021). Electrolysers have shown considerable promise for energy storage, largely due to their higher energy storage density and lower environmental impact compared to lithium-ion batteries (Garraín et al, 2021).…”

Identification of leading sectors for sustainable regional development: A case study of D.I Yogyakarta region

“…Sustainable development might be IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1108/1/012006 2 directed towards achieving three goals that include at least three dimensions, namely economic, social, and ecosystem goals. The most prominent thought and used by many parties is sustainable development integrating three dimensions of economic, social and environmental aspects [7,8,9].…”