Hydrogen Production and Its Application in Chemical Industry from a Life Cycle Perspective

In the face of the global energy crisis and climate change, hydrogen energy, as a kind of clean and efficient energy, plays a significant role in promoting the low-carbon transition of the energy structure. This article starts from the perspective of environmental impact and energy consumption in the hydrogen production process, reviewing the life cycle assessment results of hydrogen production from different routes and covering the process from raw material acquisition and transportation to hydrogen production. It analyzes various hydrogen production technologies, including fossil energy-based hydrogen production, biomass conversion to hydrogen, and water electrolysis, aiming to provide a scientific basis for formulating environmental management policies for hydrogen energy development and promoting the green transformation of the chemical industry. The evaluation results show that using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power for water electrolysis to produce hydrogen has a lower carbon footprint and energy consumption, which is key to achieving sustainable energy development. Carbon capture and storage technology, along with the recovery of industrial by-product hydrogen, becomes a transitional solution towards green hydrogen energy. Based on existing hydrogen production technologies, coupling the coal chemical industry with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power for water electrolysis provides possibilities for further industrial decarbonization. The article also discusses the potential of hydrogen in the chemical industry, analyzes the opportunities and challenges of new energy-based hydrogen production technologies in the chemical field, and the significance of large-scale promotion of industrial by-product hydrogen. Finally, it looks forward to the development trend of hydrogen energy in future chemical production.