HYDROGEN FROM BIOMASS: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES Marco Buffi, Matteo Prussi, Nicolae Scarlat, JRC, Directorate C - Energy, Transport and Climate Energy Efficiency and Renewables
Hydrogen from biomass sources is a ready alternative to integrate the production of renewable hydrogen in the coming years.
H
ydrogen is one of the main pillars of the Europe’s decarbonization strategy for the next years, offering a clean solution for mobility, power generation and industry. There are several available sustainable production options and there is still uncertainty about which is the most effective pathway for hydrogen. The larger part of 26 Be
the current production is mainly divided in three categories, which are commonly referred to as grey, blue and green hydrogen. While the first two classifications derive from natural gas (varying from the presence or not of carbon capture and storage strategies), the third one is produced from renewables energies, excluding biomass.
A fourth type of hydrogen can be produced from the gasification of coal and is referred to as brown or black hydrogen, depending on the grade of coal being used. The “colours” of hydrogen (associated to the primary feedstock adopted for its production) are not sufficient to define its sustainability, and each production route has to be properly addressed according to
