Life-cycle performance of indirect biomass gasification as a green alternative to steam methane reforming for hydrogen production

•Life cycle assessment of hydrogen from indirect gasification of poplar biomass.•Process simulation as the main source of inventory data.•Identification of the main sources of environmental impact.•Calculation of the life-cycle energy balance of the system.•Comparison with hydrogen from conventional steam methane reforming.

The environmental performance of hydrogen production via indirect gasification of poplar biomass was evaluated following a Life Cycle Assessment approach. Foreground data for the study were provided mainly from process simulation. The main subsystems and processes that contribute to the environmental impacts were identified. Thus, poplar production and direct emissions to air from the processing plant were found to be the main sources of environmental impact. Furthermore, a favourable (positive) life-cycle energy balance was estimated for the gasification-based system.The environmental profile of hydrogen from poplar gasification was compared with that calculated for hydrogen from conventional steam methane reforming according to inventory data also obtained through process simulation. Gasification-derived biohydrogen was generally found to be a promising hydrogen fuel, with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a low non-renewable energy demand. However, its suitability depends on the evaluated impact categories. Moreover, the biomass demand should be minimized to enhance the efficiency of the system.