Global warming potential of the sulfur–iodine process using life cycle assessment methodology

A life cycle assessment (LCA) of one proposed method of hydrogen production – thermochemical water-splitting using the sulfur–iodine cycle couple with a very high-temperature nuclear reactor – is presented in this paper. Thermochemical water-splitting theoretically offers a higher overall efficiency than high-temperature electrolysis of water because heat from the nuclear reactor is provided directly to the hydrogen generation process, instead of using the intermediate step of generating electricity. The primary heat source for the S–I cycle is an advanced nuclear reactor operating at temperatures corresponding to those required by the sulfur–iodine process. This LCA examines the environmental impact of the combined advanced nuclear and hydrogen generation plants and focuses on quantifying the emissions of carbon dioxide per kilogram of hydrogen produced. The results are presented in terms of global warming potential (GWP). The GWP of the system is 2500 g carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2-eq) per kilogram of hydrogen produced. The GWP of this process is approximately one-sixth of that for hydrogen production by steam reforming of natural gas, and is comparable to producing hydrogen from wind- or hydro-electric conventional electrolysis.