Life cycle assessment for Thermolysis and electrolysis integration in the copper-chlorine cycle of hydrogen production

Production, transformation, and use of energy are the main causes of many environmental problems including acid precipitation, ozone depletion, and climate change. Therefore, there is a global push for sustainable energy alternatives. One promising paradigm of a clean energy system is the hydrogen economy. However, current methods of hydrogen production are often unsustainable as they are based primarily on fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal, which release CO2 into the atmosphere. Promising alternatives for sustainable hydrogen production are thermochemical cycles. In thermochemical cycles for hydrogen production, the overall water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen is achieved through a series of reactions. This paper discusses various designs for integration of the molten salt reactor and electrochemical cell in a thermochemical copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle. A life cycle assessment is used to aid in the selection process of the best design for integration. This is done based on a point system within an impact category, where the design with the lowest points is taken to be the most feasible and hence chosen for integration of the cycle.