Khulna University of Engineering & Technology

Department of Energy Science and Engineering

Assignment on

Application of Hydrogen Fuel in Bangladesh

Course Title: Hydrogen and Fuel cells
Course No: ESE-4003

Submitted To
Mahmudul Hasan
Lecturer
Institute of Environment and Power
Technology (IEPT)
KUET, Khulna-9203, Bangladesh.

Submitted By
Md. Seam Hasan Arif
Student ID: 1713025
Year: 4th
Term: 2nd

Submission Date: 25-12-2022

 Application of Hydrogen Fuel in Bangladesh

One of the nations with the quickest economic growth is Bangladesh. We are all aware that the
key to development is energy. To achieve overall energy needs, the majority of nations mostly rely
on fossil fuels. The environment is not safe when using fossil fuels. An important factor in climate
change is greenhouse gas (GHG). Many nations have already turned toward using renewable
energy sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, and other types. The use of solar photovoltaic
technology has gained widespread acceptance. The world's largest population of solar home
system users is in Bangladesh. The use of bio-gas is also gaining popularity in the nation.
Applications involving renewable energy raise serious storage issues. The use of green hydrogen
is growing in popularity. Hydrogen is produced by businesses in a variety of ways; however, these
methods are incompatible with maintaining the natural environment. Without any emissions,
hydrogen may be produced using solar energy. The cost of hydrogen is a crucial consideration,
though. The utilization of this clean energy source would rise in underdeveloped nations like
Bangladesh with the localization of technology for affordable hydrogen producing systems [1].
The use of alternate sources is not yet widely adopted in Bangladesh. Basically, a large portion of
our nation's power generation process is heavily dependent on traditional resources. However,
there are several possible applications for hydrogen that might make it a viable alternative to
traditional energy sources. Hydrogen is mostly used in transportation, electricity generation, and
industrial activities, among other things. Generally speaking, desulfurization, hydrocracking, and
hydrogenation are some of the processes used in the petroleum refining industry. Additionally,
hydrogen is needed for the production of methanol or ammonia. Several high temperature
processes are used in the numerous cement and steel businesses in Bangladesh. In those
circumstances, hydrogen can be used, which would be beneficial for lowering reliance on
conventional energy sources. The transportation system is another significant area where hydrogen
is used. In many nations around the world, including the USA, Korea, Japan, China, and so on,
fuel cell-based electric cars (FCEVs) are becoming increasingly common. Due to their complete
lack of emissions and quicker recharging, FCEVs are more popular. However, Bangladesh cannot
employ FCEVs due to a lack of fueling stations, a lack of a large-scale facility to produce
hydrogen, and the high cost of FCEVs. Bangladesh may be able to use hydrogen in this location if
the infrastructure is created in the near future [2].
Hydrogen is a resource that can be used in many developing nations' many industries, just like it
can in many developed ones. Home, business, industry, and transportation are some of these
sectors. LPG is frequently used for cooking in homes in cities and other urban areas in developing
nations like Bangladesh. Hydrogen could be utilized as a fuel for stoves, known as hydrogen-
fueled stoves, if the cost of producing hydrogen can be decreased. In a home refrigerator with
absorption cooling, hydrogen gas can also be used. Similarly, the cooling/heating process in air
conditioners uses hydrogen [3]. Due to the substantial use of fossil fuels in automobiles in
developing nations, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation industry are one of
the primary environmental issues. Between 2002 and 2030, the transport sector's emissions in these
nations will increase by nearly 170%. In contrast, the OECD countries will have a 43% gain
throughout the same time period [4]. For instance, the Bangladeshi transportation industry's fuel
burning resulted in the emission of 14.2% of carbon dioxide in 2014. The Bangladeshi government
intends to employ a 5% blend of bioethanol to gasoline in the transportation sector to lower GHG
emissions and move toward a sustainable energy future [5]. Bioethanol's source has not yet been
investigated, though. Hydrogen could be used as an alternative and a viable fuel for emerging
nations' transportation systems in the future. Overall, developing nations would often experience
higher local environmental benefits from converting to hydrogen than industrialized nations,
where air pollution is less of an issue due to more advanced technology for reducing car emissions
and improving fuel quality [6].Any industry that processes steam, including the food, chemical,
and textile industries, can utilize hydrogen in an industrial setting. Hydrogen may be utilized by
the fertilizer industry for the synthesis of ammonia. Hydrogenation processes can be utilized in the
chemical industry to create organic compounds and aromatase. In addition, hydrogen can be used
to create hydrogen peroxide and amines [3] In the food business, hydrogen is also used to
hydrogenate natural fats and oils. In addition, hydrogen can be utilized in the glass, electronics,
and metallurgy industries. Hydrogen may be a possible source of energy for industrial uses as
emerging countries move toward industrialization.
Bangladesh produces its electricity primarily from natural gas. It exceeds 50%. However, this
natural resource is soon running out. By combining hydrogen with natural gas, current technology
can provide savings of up to 20%. Since the majority of this gas supply is used to generate
electricity, this industry is a serious problem. The transportation sector can potentially make use
of hydrogen. Although more research and development are being done, fuel cell cars and buses are
operating well and have reached a mature stage of development [1]
Hydrogen is used in Bangladesh's petroleum refinery industry during the production process. This
type of business is Eastern Refinery Limited. It gathers both light and heavy crude, refines them,
and provides fuel fuels to advertising firms. This business has a Steam Methane Reforming (SMR)-
Hydrogen generating facility installed. 790 metric tons of output can be done annually. Hydrogen
gas is used in the fertilizer industry to create urea. To create hydrogen, they are using the steam
methane reforming process [1]
The mentioned industries have the potential to use hydrogen in Bangladesh. However, a hydrogen
manufacturing facility will be necessary for utilizing hydrogen. The environmental effects of
producing hydrogen from conventional sources are felt. Thus, it will be preferable to produce
hydrogen using renewable resources. Solar energy generated by a solar array can be utilized to
generate hydrogen by electrolysis, which can then be used as fuel to power various home
appliances. In an effort to reduce the nation's reliance on fossil fuels and hasten the switch to clean
energy, the government of Bangladesh has started a pilot hydrogen manufacturing plant.

References:
[1] G. Mazumder, S. Shams, M. Rahman, and S. Huque, “USE OF GREEN HYDROGEN IN
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND PROSPECT IN BANGLADESH FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT IN ENERGY SECTOR,” J. Proj. Manag., vol. 6, p. 1, Jul. 2021.
[2] R. Samsun, M. Rex, L. Antoni, and D. Stolten, “Deployment of Fuel Cell Vehicles and
Hydrogen Refueling Station Infrastructure: A Global Overview and Perspectives,” Energies,
vol. 15, no. 14, p. 4975, Jul. 2022, doi: 10.3390/en15144975.
[3] T. N. Veziroǧlu and F. Barbir, “Initiation of hydrogen energy system in developing
countries,” Int. J. Hydrog. Energy, vol. 17, no. 7, pp. 527–538, Jul. 1992, doi: 10.1016/0360-
3199(92)90152-M.
[4] L. K. Mytelka and G. Boyle, Making choices about hydrogen: transport issues for
developing countries. IDRC, 2008.
[5] A. M. Swaraz, M. A. Satter, Md. M. Rahman, M. A. Asad, I. Khan, and Md. Z. Amin,
“Bioethanol production potential in Bangladesh from wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris
Roxb.): An experimental proof,” Ind. Crops Prod., vol. 139, p. 111507, Nov. 2019, doi:
10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.111507.
[6] T. Morgan, “The hydrogen economy: a non-technical review,” 2006.