Comprehensive analysis of life cycle energy consumption and environmental impact of hydrogen production process via plasma co-gasification of coal and biomass

The global climate change challenge has prompted widespread interest in using renewable energy sources to replace/partially displace fossil fuel-based hydrogen production technologies. In this work, the plasma co-gasification (PCG) of coal and biomass-based on carbon capture for hydrogen production (PCGC) process and plasma co-gasification of coal and biomass coupled chemical looping for hydrogen production (PCG-CL) process are modeled. According to the simulation results, the life cycle energy consumption (LCEC) and key environmental indicators of the PCGC hydrogen production system and the PCG-CL hydrogen production system were quantified and evaluated from the perspective of life cycle assessment (LCA). The results show that, in both hydrogen production systems, the highest LCEC occurs at the raw material collection stage and in the PCG unit, accounting for 81.37 % of the energy consumption in the PCGC hydrogen system and 81.96 % in the PCG-CL system. LCA analysis reveals that, compared to the PCGC process, the global warming potential (GWP) of the PCG-CL hydrogen production system is reduced by 3.81 %, contributing to the mitigation of global warming trends. Future research should optimize plasma gasification efficiency and develop eco-friendly oxygen carriers to advance clean, scalable coal-biomass hydrogen production, accelerating net-zero emissions and sustainability goals.