Biohydrogen with negative CO2 emissions from municipal solid waste for decarbonising the public bus fleet. Application to the municipality of Madrid

L. Lefranc, J.I. Linares, A. Santos-Montes, E.M. Arenas, C. M. Sastre, B.Y. Moratilla

Journal of Environmental Management Vol. 371, pp. 123258-1 - 123258-13

Summary:

This study assesses the production potential, environmental impact, and economic viability of generating biohydrogen from biomethane obtained from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) using steam methane reforming with carbon capture and storage (CCS). As the emissions are biogenic, CCS results in negative emissions. The methodology is based on a previously developed model, including techno-economic analysis based on the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) and mobility (LCOM), and environmental assessment, focusing on production potential, cost estimates, and emissions impact. A case study is conducted to assess the feasibility of using this biohydrogen with negative emissions to decarbonize Madrid's public bus fleet. The findings reveal that Madrid's MSW could meet the entire hydrogen fuel demand if the fleet consisted of fuel-cell buses. However, given the high costs of replacing the entire fleet, a net-zero solution is proposed, combining 60% fuel-cell buses with existing natural gas-powered buses. In this configuration, the negative emissions from biohydrogen offset the fossil emissions from natural gas and 40% of biomethane is saved. The cost of the net-zero fleet ranges between 192.55 and 209.37 €/100 km, comparable with 100% natural gas fleet, which ranges between 176.19 and 217.69 €/100 km.

Spanish layman's summary:

Generar hidrógeno a partir de biometano obtenido de la fracción orgánica de los residuos sólidos urbanos (RSU), capturando sus emisiones, podría ser una vía económica y medioambientalmente sostenible para descarbonizar la operación de los autobuses en un centro urbano importante como es Madrid.

English layman's summary:

Generating hydrogen from biomethane obtained from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW), while capturing its emissions, could prove to be an economically and environmentally sustainable pathway to decarbonise the operation of buses in a major urban centre like Madrid.

Keywords: Biohydrogen; Municipal solid waste; Greenhouse gases (GHG); Steam methane reforming; Carbon capture and storage (CCUS); Fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV)

JCR Impact Factor and WoS quartile: 8,000 - Q1 (2023)

DOI reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123258

Published on paper: December 2024.

Published on-line: November 2024.

Citation:
L. Lefranc, J.I. Linares, A. Santos-Montes, E.M. Arenas, C. M. Sastre, B.Y. Moratilla, Biohydrogen with negative CO2 emissions from municipal solid waste for decarbonising the public bus fleet. Application to the municipality of Madrid. Journal of Environmental Management. Vol. 371, pp. 123258-1 - 123258-13, December 2024. [Online: November 2024]