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Life Cycle Assessment Comparison of Orchard Tractors Powered by Diesel and Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Author

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  • Salvatore Martelli

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Turin, Italy)

  • Valerio Martini

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Turin, Italy)

  • Francesco Mocera

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Turin, Italy)

  • Aurelio Soma’

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Turin, Italy)

Abstract

To reduce the impact of the agricultural sector on the environment, human health and resource depletion, several steps should be taken to develop innovative powertrain systems. The agricultural sector must be involved in this innovation, since diesel-powered tractors are an important source in terms of pollution. In this context, fuel-cell systems have gained importance, making them one of the possible substitutes due to their characteristics featuring almost zero local emissions, low refueling time and high efficiency. However, to effectively assess the sustainability of a fuel-cell tractor, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment, comprising production, use phase and end of life, must be performed. This article presents a comparative analysis, according to different impact categories, of the life cycle impacts of a traditional diesel-powered tractor and a fuel-cell hybrid tractor, designed considering operative requirements and functional constraints. The study was conducted according to the LCA technique (defined by ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards), combining secondary data, mainly derived from studies and reports available in the literature, with the use of the Ecoinvent 3.0 database. The results are presented according to ten different impact categories defined by ReCiPe 2016 v 1.03 at the midpoint level. The findings obtained showed that the fuel-cell tractor allows for a relevant reduction in all the considered categories. The highest-impact reduction, more than 92%, was obtained in the human toxicity non-carcinogenic category, while the lowest reduction, around 4.55%, was observed for the fossil fuel scarcity category, mainly due to the adoption of gray hydrogen which is produced from fossil fuels. As for the climate change category, the fuel-cell tractor showed a reduction of more than 34% in the life cycle impact. Finally, the authors also considered the case of green hydrogen produced using solar energy. In this case, further reductions in the impact on climate change and fossil fuel resource depletion were obtained. However, for the other impact categories, the results were worse compared to using gray hydrogen.

Suggested Citation

  • Salvatore Martelli & Valerio Martini & Francesco Mocera & Aurelio Soma’, 2024. "Life Cycle Assessment Comparison of Orchard Tractors Powered by Diesel and Hydrogen Fuel Cell," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-29, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:18:p:4599-:d:1477492
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Simons, Andrew & Bauer, Christian, 2015. "A life-cycle perspective on automotive fuel cells," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 884-896.
    2. Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary & Farzad Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2020. "The Impacts of Air Pollution on Health and Economy in Southeast Asia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Francesco Mocera & Aurelio Somà & Salvatore Martelli & Valerio Martini, 2023. "Trends and Future Perspective of Electrification in Agricultural Tractor-Implement Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-36, September.
    4. Peter A. Stott & Nikolaos Christidis & Friederike E. L. Otto & Ying Sun & Jean‐Paul Vanderlinden & Geert Jan van Oldenborgh & Robert Vautard & Hans von Storch & Peter Walton & Pascal Yiou & Francis W., 2016. "Attribution of extreme weather and climate‐related events," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(1), pages 23-41, January.
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    7. Salvatore Martelli & Francesco Mocera & Aurelio Somà, 2023. "Carbon Footprint of an Orchard Tractor through a Life-Cycle Assessment Approach," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, June.
    8. Briac Baudais & Hamid Ben Ahmed & Gurvan Jodin & Nicolas Degrenne & Stéphane Lefebvre, 2023. "Life Cycle Assessment of a 150 kW Electronic Power Inverter," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-18, February.
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    1. Patrizia Ghisellini & Renato Passaro & Sergio Ulgiati, 2025. "Is Green Hydrogen an Environmentally and Socially Sound Solution for Decarbonizing Energy Systems Within a Circular Economy Transition?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-55, May.

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