- Email: [email protected]
For the special issue on “Progress in Hydrogen Production and Applications (ICH2P-2015), 3–6 May 2015, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada”
international journal of hydrogen energy 41 (2016) 7699
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he
Editorial
For the special issue on “Progress in Hydrogen Production and Applications (ICH2P-2015), 3e6 May 2015, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada” The ominous signs of climate change are around us: rising sea levels, hotter summers, poorer air quality, and so forth. Each day, several millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels play a drastic role in damaging our environment through pollution and smog, which also have harmful health consequences, including illnesses and diseases. In contrast, hydrogen, as an energy carrier, offers great potential to become a widespread, clean and sustainable solution. Some have been questioning: whether the “hydrogen economy” is for us, or far in the future for our grandkids. But the worldwide hydrogen market is already valued at several hundreds of billions of dollars per year, with a double digit annual growth rate, reaching several trillions of dollars annually by 2020. Hydrogen is needed today in large quantities by petrochemical, agricultural (ammonia for fertilizers), manufacturing, food processing, and many other industries. For example, in Alberta, Canada, the oil sands need vast amounts of hydrogen to convert bitumen to synthetic crude oil and remove impurities. A major challenge facing this rapid future growth of hydrogen need is a sustainable, lower-cost method of producing hydrogen in large capacities which has been our main target through the international conference series on hydrogen production. Predominant existing processes based on hydrocarbons are facing the challenges of greenhouse gas emissions, depleting fossil fuel reserves, future carbon taxes, and high costs of carbon capture and storage. The 6th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2015), under the honorary chairship of Dr. T. N. Veziroglu, was a multi-disciplinary international conference on the production and usage of hydrogen energy. It provided a unique forum for the exchange of new technical advances, dissemination of latest advances in research, presentation of new developments in the areas, and the debate and formulation of strategic directions and priorities in hydrogen technologies. The conference benefited researchers, scientists, engineers and practitioners greatly, who were working in the areas of hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies. The conference presented critical improvements to existing hydrogen production processes and emerging new technologies to reduce the costs and environmental impact of polluting hydrogen. These
included thermochemical water splitting, solar, biomass, and various others. Through these technologies, lower cost hydrogen will foster a new era of sustainability, based on hydrogen. The conference had over 120 peer reviewed, accepted and presented papers (including keynote talks, and general and poster papers). It received extraordinary international attention from every corner of the world and led to effective and fruitful communication between the research, government, and industrial communities. I once more warmly thank the ICH2P2015 organizing committees, advisory board members, keynote speakers, authors, session chairs, and all attendees, whose contributions and efforts have made this conference a success. As a result of this success, we were given a unique opportunity by Dr. T. Nejat Veziroglu and Elsevier to compile together high-quality papers and bring to fruition this special issue in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (IJHE). All selected and accepted high-quality conference papers have passed through another peer-review process for this special issue to improve their quality further for readers of IJHE. In conclusion, we would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank Dr. Veziroglu and the editorial team of Elsevier, associate editors, all contributing authors, reviewers, and our assistants for their efforts that have made this special issue a true and unique success.
Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Dincer, Managing Guest Editor* Dr. Rami El-Emam, Associate Guest Editor Fac. of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, L1H 7K4 Oshawa, Ontario, Canada *Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (I. Dincer), [email protected] (R. El-Emam) 11 January 2016 Available online 11 February 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.01.060 0360-3199/© 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he
Editorial
For the special issue on “Progress in Hydrogen Production and Applications (ICH2P-2015), 3e6 May 2015, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada” The ominous signs of climate change are around us: rising sea levels, hotter summers, poorer air quality, and so forth. Each day, several millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels play a drastic role in damaging our environment through pollution and smog, which also have harmful health consequences, including illnesses and diseases. In contrast, hydrogen, as an energy carrier, offers great potential to become a widespread, clean and sustainable solution. Some have been questioning: whether the “hydrogen economy” is for us, or far in the future for our grandkids. But the worldwide hydrogen market is already valued at several hundreds of billions of dollars per year, with a double digit annual growth rate, reaching several trillions of dollars annually by 2020. Hydrogen is needed today in large quantities by petrochemical, agricultural (ammonia for fertilizers), manufacturing, food processing, and many other industries. For example, in Alberta, Canada, the oil sands need vast amounts of hydrogen to convert bitumen to synthetic crude oil and remove impurities. A major challenge facing this rapid future growth of hydrogen need is a sustainable, lower-cost method of producing hydrogen in large capacities which has been our main target through the international conference series on hydrogen production. Predominant existing processes based on hydrocarbons are facing the challenges of greenhouse gas emissions, depleting fossil fuel reserves, future carbon taxes, and high costs of carbon capture and storage. The 6th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2015), under the honorary chairship of Dr. T. N. Veziroglu, was a multi-disciplinary international conference on the production and usage of hydrogen energy. It provided a unique forum for the exchange of new technical advances, dissemination of latest advances in research, presentation of new developments in the areas, and the debate and formulation of strategic directions and priorities in hydrogen technologies. The conference benefited researchers, scientists, engineers and practitioners greatly, who were working in the areas of hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies. The conference presented critical improvements to existing hydrogen production processes and emerging new technologies to reduce the costs and environmental impact of polluting hydrogen. These
included thermochemical water splitting, solar, biomass, and various others. Through these technologies, lower cost hydrogen will foster a new era of sustainability, based on hydrogen. The conference had over 120 peer reviewed, accepted and presented papers (including keynote talks, and general and poster papers). It received extraordinary international attention from every corner of the world and led to effective and fruitful communication between the research, government, and industrial communities. I once more warmly thank the ICH2P2015 organizing committees, advisory board members, keynote speakers, authors, session chairs, and all attendees, whose contributions and efforts have made this conference a success. As a result of this success, we were given a unique opportunity by Dr. T. Nejat Veziroglu and Elsevier to compile together high-quality papers and bring to fruition this special issue in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (IJHE). All selected and accepted high-quality conference papers have passed through another peer-review process for this special issue to improve their quality further for readers of IJHE. In conclusion, we would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank Dr. Veziroglu and the editorial team of Elsevier, associate editors, all contributing authors, reviewers, and our assistants for their efforts that have made this special issue a true and unique success.
Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Dincer, Managing Guest Editor* Dr. Rami El-Emam, Associate Guest Editor Fac. of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, L1H 7K4 Oshawa, Ontario, Canada *Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (I. Dincer), [email protected] (R. El-Emam) 11 January 2016 Available online 11 February 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.01.060 0360-3199/© 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.