[Opinion] Eco-friendly Green Hydrogen Is an Illusion

Hydrogen is just an energy carrier, emitting greenhouse gases like LNG
Even water electrolysis for hydrogen production discharges wastewater, an anti-environmental technology

The enthusiasm for the "hydrogen economy," which the previous administration recklessly pushed forward under the pretexts of nuclear phase-out and carbon neutrality, shows no signs of cooling down. The Prime Minister announced plans to produce hydrogen using electricity from nuclear power plants, and interest in eco-friendly hydrogen generated from solar and wind power remains high. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which was at the forefront of the nuclear phase-out, is also talking about active investment in hydrogen. The Ministry’s flawed economic logic is that if the government creates a market with tax money, the private sector will develop eco-friendly technologies. Some companies have even invited unfamiliar foreign experts to stage a noisy spectacle.

The claim that hydrogen is an eco-friendly fuel that emits no greenhouse gases is unfounded. Producing 1 ton of reformed hydrogen extracted from natural gas (LNG) emits more than 5.5 tons of carbon dioxide. Depending on the facility, it can emit over 20 tons of greenhouse gases. In terms of greenhouse gases, reformed hydrogen is no different from the direct combustion of LNG. Painting the exterior walls of hydrogen refueling stations that produce reformed hydrogen blue does not change the situation.

Capturing the carbon dioxide emitted during the production of reformed hydrogen does not change the hydrogen’s color to "blue." It is the same as simply attaching capture devices to chimneys does not turn coal-fired power plants into eco-friendly power plants. Attempts to deceive the public by packaging colorless and odorless hydrogen gas in all sorts of fancy colors are absolutely unacceptable.

The claim that "water electrolysis" using electricity to electrolyze "clean" water is an eco-friendly technology is also absurd. Even a high school level knowledge of chemistry can reveal this. Clean water is an "insulator" that does not conduct electricity, so electrolysis does not occur. It is the same as not being able to make an electric circuit with a piece of wood or plastic that does not conduct electricity. This is common sense known even to children.

To utilize water electrolysis technology, water must be made a "conductor" that conducts electricity. This means adding electrolytes such as salt, acid, or base that dissociate into cations and anions when dissolved in water. However, all electrolytes are highly corrosive and severely pollute the environment. Ultimately, water electrolysis technology for hydrogen production is not an eco-friendly technology that produces hydrogen from clean water. Rather, it should be called an anti-environmental technology that discharges "dirty" wastewater.

Hydrogen, which is highly flammable and explosive, is not safe. The horrors of hydrogen explosions are vividly recorded in history. In 1937, 36 people died in a hydrogen explosion on the Hindenburg airship. In 2019, a small hydrogen tank explosion in Gangneung caused terrible casualties and property damage. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s claim that hydrogen refueling stations are safe is also false. Words become reality, and an explosion accident actually occurred at a hydrogen refueling station near Oslo, Finland. The government’s audacity to install a hydrogen refueling station in front of the National Assembly and allow large tube trailers transporting hydrogen to speed on highways is astonishing.

Hydrogen is not a "fuel" that can be extracted from nature like coal or oil. It is merely an "energy carrier" that must be produced from natural gas (methane), ammonia, or water at a cost and with pollution. Jeremy Rifkin’s 2002 claim that such hydrogen will replace carbon as "eco-friendly energy" is nothing but the baseless assertion of an amateur.

Lee Deok-hwan (Professor Emeritus at Sogang University, Chemistry and Science Communication)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.