(390c) Life Cycle Assessment of Hydrogen Generation from Biogenic Waste Via Anaerobic Co-Digestion Integrated with Reforming

Hydrogen generation from biogenic waste or intermediates is a promising route for many countries lacking in typical renewable resources such as solar or wind. The characteristics of such waste, however, varies widely and require specific integration of technologies. For example, in Bangladesh, over 80% biogenic waste consists of agricultural residue containing over 70% moisture content. Majority of the waste is handled via landfilling while a portion of is anaerobically mono-digested, thus yielding high environmental implications. For high moisture biogenic waste, hydrogen production can be achieved via coupling anaerobic co-digestion (ACoD) technology with catalytic reforming. However, the environmental benefits of such integration, especially for highly populous developing countries, has been largely unexplored. In this work, we consider an ACoD-Reforming system for upgrading biogas derived from co-digestion to hydrogen rich syngas for simultaneous handling of waste and energy production-considering regional context of Bangladesh as a case study. A thorough attributional life-cycle assessment (LCA) is carried out for the considered system from cradle-to-grave for determining five environmental impacts such as global warming, acidification potential, eutrophication and eco-toxicity using primary life cycle inventory data. In addition, a comparison with other waste-based hydrogen production technologies is also made for the same feedstock conditions. The results of the life cycle impact assessment can serve as an important decision-making tool for assessing hydrogen production potential in developing countries to kick-start its path towards assimilating hydrogen economy.