The hydrogen value chain

Hydrogen has played an essential role in the chemical industry, oil refining, petrochemicals and, to a lesser extent, in the production of certain materials since the mid-20th century. For the past twenty years, hydrogen has been seen as a key energy carrier for decarbonization in a number of fields, including mobility, energy storage and even heating. These new uses, coupled with the need to produce low-carbon hydrogen, are disrupting and complicating the various stages of the hydrogen chain, from production to use, with new technological challenges still to be met.

At present, hydrogen is mainly produced from hydrocarbons, but new routes such as water electrolysis, steam reforming with CO ₂ capture or gasification or even pyrolysis are being developed to obtain low-carbon hydrogen. In most cases, a purification step is required to obtain hydrogen at the required level of purity.

If hydrogen is not consumed at the point of production, it must be stored prior to transport in compressed, liquefied or adsorbed form in liquids or solids. This is a challenging stage, due to its low energy density and the need to guarantee safety. Hydrogen must then be transported to end-users via pipelines, tankers or ships.

Lastly, while hydrogen is currently used in industry (metallurgy, refining, chemicals), its use is being considered in new areas (mobility, electricity production and storage, heating) in order to initiate a transition to cleaner energy sources.

Each stage presents specific technological, economic and regulatory challenges. Efforts are focused on optimizing each stage to make hydrogen a more accessible, cost-effective and sustainable energy carrier for the future.