Sustainable Infrastructure, Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
10.5281/zenodo.21892173
Abstract
The global imperative to decarbonize hard-to-abate (HTA) industrial sectors—including steel, chemicals, and refining—has positioned hydrogen as a cornerstone of the low-carbon transition. Two primary clean hydrogen pathways have emerged: green hydrogen, produced via renewable-powered electrolysis, and blue hydrogen, derived from natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS). While both offer substantial emissions reductions compared to conventional fossil-based hydrogen, they entail fundamentally different techno-economic profiles, environmental footprints, and scalability trajectories. This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of blue and green hydrogen pathways across key industrial applications, integrating techno-economic assessment (TEA), life-cycle environmental evaluation, and scenario-based cost projections. The findings reveal that green hydrogen exhibits superior long-term economic performance, with costs projected to reach $2.00–3.50/kg by 2030, driven by rapid electrolyzer cost reductions and declining renewable electricity prices. However, blue hydrogen maintains a near-term cost advantage at $1.50–2.50/kg, though this is contingent upon high CCS capture rates (93–97%) and low upstream methane leakage. Critically, the climate benefits of blue hydrogen are significantly undermined by methane leakage rates observed in major gas-producing basins (2.8–3.1%), resulting in lifecycle emissions of 3.5–5.5 kg CO₂e/kg H₂ on a 20-year GWP basis . The green hydrogen-dominant scenario demonstrates superior mitigation economics, saving $115.5 billion compared to blue-dominant pathways while achieving comparable decarbonization outcomes . These results underscore the need for nuanced, sector-specific policy frameworks that account for regional resource endowments, infrastructure readiness, and long-term cost trajectories.
Hussun,S . (2026). Blue Hydrogen vs. Green Hydrogen: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Showdown in Heavy Industry Decarbonization. Journal of Chemical Engineering and Energy Materials, 2(3), 249-263. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21892173
MLA
Hussun,S . "Blue Hydrogen vs. Green Hydrogen: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Showdown in Heavy Industry Decarbonization", Journal of Chemical Engineering and Energy Materials, 2, 3, 2026, 249-263. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21892173
HARVARD
Hussun S. (2026). 'Blue Hydrogen vs. Green Hydrogen: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Showdown in Heavy Industry Decarbonization', Journal of Chemical Engineering and Energy Materials, 2(3), pp. 249-263. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21892173
CHICAGO
S Hussun, "Blue Hydrogen vs. Green Hydrogen: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Showdown in Heavy Industry Decarbonization," Journal of Chemical Engineering and Energy Materials, 2 3 (2026): 249-263, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21892173
VANCOUVER
Hussun S. Blue Hydrogen vs. Green Hydrogen: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Showdown in Heavy Industry Decarbonization. Journal of Chemical Engineering and Energy Materials. 2026;2(3):249-263. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21892173