- Ray Bernard
Fuel cells 'might damage ozone layer'
16 June 2003: Widespread use of hydrogen fuel cells might not be as environmentally friendly as many believe.
Some scientists say the new technology could lead to greater destruction of the ozone layer that protects Earth from cancer-causing ultraviolet rays.
They say hydrogen's impact on ozone destruction should be considered when estimating the potential environmental downside of a hydrogen economy.
In an article in Science magazine, researchers at the California Institute of Technology raised the possibility that, if hydrogen fuel replaced fossil fuels entirely, it could be expected that 10 percent to 20 percent of the hydrogen would leak from pipelines, storage facilities, processing plants and fuel cells.
Its increased use could lead to as much as a tripling of hydrogen molecules going into the stratosphere, where it would oxidize and form water which would result in cooling of the lower stratosphere and the disturbance of ozone chemistry.
They suggest that this could result in bigger and longer-lasting ozone holes in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, where drops in ozone levels have been recorded for 20 years. They estimated that ozone depletion could be as much as 8 percent.
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