Alexander HölkenFeb 26
SellaTheChemist
Scathing/sobering assessment of CCS and hydrogen tech in the context of climate change from Julian Allwood. Not a comfortable read. He must have had a hard time with referees because he comments:
Given the vast investment of academic effort …it is hardly surprising that the message of this paper is challenging, and this was made evident in the extensive process of manuscript review… the conclusions of the paper, reflected in the
title, should be seen not as heresy." https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-025-00344-1
Too late for CCS and hydrogen - Nature Chemical Engineering

Fifty years after it was commercialized, global carbon capture and storage (CCS) capacity is equal to 0.09% of global emissions. Meanwhile, global emission-free electricity generation grows at a steady, linear rate. This Perspective argues that it is now too late for CCS or hydrogen to make a substantial contribution by 2050, so other solutions are required to decarbonize industry.

Nature
Feb 25 at 6:45pmWeb
Show threadBashStKidFeb 25
@sellathechemist I’d imagine it’s extremely difficult to make any progress when the companies are screaming the opposite into government ears.
Show threadSellaTheChemistFeb 25
@BashStKid And academics too. A lot of "investment" in hydrogen by research councils.
Show threadDr Susi ArnottFeb 25
@sellathechemist @BashStKid You mean science can be... bought?
Show threadSellaTheChemistFeb 25
@SusiArnott @BashStKid Well, it has to be paid for and there are conflicts of interest built into the community that takes some of the decisions. I think that's one of the key underlying messages of Allwood's article: "For Christ's sake do a Fermi estimate and realise that CCS is going nowhere while we emit Gigtonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year, and don't hide behind "but one days we'll need it"."
Show threadBashStKidFeb 26
@sellathechemist That creates an indirect bias in research if the companies wave ‘industry matching funding’ at the councils, then highly likely if a dept proposes research in that area, it will get funded.
Rather more suspect when the research proposals perfectly fit industry wishes to ensure the funding. Not to mention those earth science depts where senior positions are ‘supported’ by, say, BP.
Show threadPino CarafaFeb 25
@sellathechemist Alright but what about the longer term? Could they come into their own further down the line, not as the only solution, but as part of a many pronged effort?
Show threadSellaTheChemistFeb 25
@rozeboosje there is plenty of fundamental science that is very interesting. But there are strategic directions being chosen for priority funding that are just misguided and Allwood makes a very strong case that CCS and H2 are a side-show. The fact is that they have very loud and well-funded cheerleaders in the firms that make their money from burning stuff. CCS gives them the cover to keep burning. And H2 sounds like virtuous combustion. but combustion it is. More of the same.
Show threadPino CarafaFeb 25
@sellathechemist cheers for the explanation
Show threadDr Susi ArnottFeb 25
@sellathechemist @rozeboosje
(ICYMI this group of Allwoods did some merciless analysis a few years back but seem to have gone quiet
https://ukfires.org/news/)
News – UK FIRES

Show threadPaulFeb 26
@sellathechemist @rozeboosje I listened to David Cebon a few years ago and he made it clear that H2 was actually a good way for fossil fuel companies to sell even more gas since the process of converting to H2 throws away a bunch of the energy. If you convert a boiler to hydrogen you need more gas out of the ground to run it. https://fullycharged.show/podcasts/podcast-177-so-how-clean-is-hydrogen-actually-with-prof-david-cebon/
David Cebon - How Clean is Hydrogen? - Everything Electric

Robert Llewellyn speaks to Professor David Cebon about Hydrogen in its various forms, but how clean is hydrogen, actually?

Everything Electric
Show threadPaulFeb 26
@sellathechemist @rozeboosje Damn. Reading that back that's very much a grandmother sucking eggs kind of situation. Sorry. I just found it very enlightening the way it was explained and I didn't realise before.
Show threadglasspshrFeb 26
@sellathechemist I used to do fuel cells. I’d like to see hydrogen used to replace graphite/coke in steel and aluminum manufacture.
Show threadanlomedadFeb 26

@sellathechemist
Sadly no access. Does Allwood still have a twitter profile where he might have posted a gift link?

Or if you have access to it, would you try to archive the paper on
https://archive.ph

Two people already tried to archive it there but it resulted in only the locked version to get saved. Maybe that is simply what happens with all NATURE paper archives, I don't know.
I'd appreciate very much if you could give it a shot
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-025-00344-1

archive.ph