energies
Perspective A Perspective on the Overarching Role of Hydrogen, Ammonia, and Methanol Carbon-Neutral Fuels towards Net Zero Emission in the Next Three Decades Haifeng Liu 1 , Jeffrey Dankwa Ampah 1, * , Yang Zhao 2 , Xingyu Sun 3 , LinxunXu 3 , Xueli Jiang 3 and Shuaishuai Wang 4,5
1 State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China 2 Tianjin Yuetai Petroleum Technology Ltd., Co., Tianjin 300384, China 3 Shandong Chambroad New Energy Co., Ltd., Binzhou 256500, China 4 School of Future Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China 5 Tianjin Xuandao Technology Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300384, China * Correspondence: jeffampah@live.com or jeffampah@tju.edu.cn
Abstract: Arguably, one of the most important issues the world is facing currently is climate change. At the current rate of fossil fuel consumption, the world is heading towards extreme levels of global temperature rise if immediate actions are not taken. Transforming the current energy system from one largely based on fossil fuels to a carbon-neutral one requires unprecedented speed. Based on the current state of development, direct electrification of the future energy system alone is technically challenging and not enough, especially in hard-to-abate sectors like heavy industry, road trucking, international shipping, and aviation. This leaves a considerable demand for alternative carbon-neutral fuels such as green ammonia and hydrogen and renewable methanol. From this perspective, we discuss the overarching roles of each fuel in reaching net zero emission within the next three decades. The challenges and future directions associated with the fuels conclude the current perspective paper.
Keywords: carbon-neutral fuels; decarbonization; hydrogen; ammonia; methanol
Citation: Liu, H.; Ampah, J.D.; Zhao, Y.; Sun, X.; Xu, L.; Jiang, X.; Wang, S. A Perspective on the Overarching Role of Hydrogen, Ammonia, and Methanol Carbon-Neutral Fuels towards Net Zero Emission in the Next Three Decades. Energies 2023 , 16 , 280. https://doi.org/10.3390/ en16010280
1. Introduction As the catalyst for economic expansion and urbanization, industrialization has led to the substantial development of several sectors of the global economy in conjunction with a growth in world population and wealth [1,2]. The world population is projected to grow to 9.9 billion in 2050 from 7.8 billion in 2020, creating an environment where energy requirements increase by 80% [3,4]. The historical patterns of growth in human population, activities, and energy demands have had a huge influence on the environment. The Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii’s latest data suggests that the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere as of 2022 had exceeded 415 ppm, which represents approximately a 14% increase in less than 25 years when compared to the levels in 1997 [5]. It has been projected that by 2050, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will increase by 50%, mainly as a consequence of the expected 70% increase in energy-related CO 2 emissions [4,6]. At the current rate of emission increase, the carbon cycle is likely to be pushed out of its dynamic equilibrium, causing an irreversible change to the climate system [7]. Against this backdrop, several rounds of climate negotiations to tackle climate change have been carried out by the international community. The adoption and signing of a series of international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the 2015 Paris Agreement has led to real progress toward national climate change mitigation commitments. The Paris Agree- ment for instance aims to limit global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels [8]. However, compared to where current policies stand, a median warming of 2.6–3.1 degrees Celsius by 2100 is more likely even if all parties were to deliver on their climate pledges [9].
Academic Editor: Attilio Converti
Received: 7 December 2022 Revised: 23 December 2022 Accepted: 23 December 2022 Published: 27 December 2022
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
Energies 2023 , 16 , 280. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010280
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
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