Techno-economic evaluation of a liquid organic hydrogen carrier-based hydrogen supply chain system for the İzmir–Hamburg maritime corridor
Energy, cilt.364, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 364
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.energy.2026.142415
- Dergi Adı: Energy
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Applied Science & Technology Source, Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC, Public Affairs Index, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Hydrogen economy, Liquid organic hydrogen carrier, Maritime transportation, Techno-economic assessment
- Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Liquid organic hydrogen carriers have emerged as a promising option for large-scale hydrogen storage and long-distance transportation by enabling hydrogen to be chemically bound to liquid organic compounds under ambient conditions. However, direct techno-economic comparisons between different liquid organic hydrogen carriers systems remain limited due to inconsistencies in system boundaries, scale assumptions, and energy source strategies. In this study, a harmonized techno-economic assessment is conducted for three representative liquid organic hydrogen carriers systems (dibenzyltoluene, toluene, and N-ethylcarbazole), within a unified and transparent framework. The proposed hydrogen supply chain integrates renewable electricity-based hydrogen production via proton exchange membrane water electrolysis, catalytic hydrogenation, maritime transport between İzmir and Hamburg, and hydrogen release through dehydrogenation at the destination. Multiple electricity supply scenarios, including standalone solar, standalone wind, hybrid renewable configurations, and power purchase agreement based supply, are systematically evaluated. The levelized cost of hydrogen is calculated based on detailed capital and operational expenditure components, supported by sensitivity analyses to identify key cost drivers. The results indicate that hybrid renewable energy configurations consistently deliver the lowest levelized cost of hydrogen values across all liquid organic hydrogen carriers systems. Among the evaluated carriers, dibenzyltoluene emerges as the most cost-effective option, achieving a minimum levelized cost of hydrogen of 5.09 USD/kg-H2, owing to its favorable thermophysical properties and balanced process costs. Toluene demonstrates competitive performance, whereas N-ethylcarbazole remains economically less attractive due to higher hydrogenation and dehydrogenation costs. Furthermore, increasing transport capacity significantly reduces the unit cost of hydrogen, highlighting the strong influence of economies of scale on maritime hydrogen logistics. The findings of this study demonstrate that liquid organic hydrogen carrier-based hydrogen transportation is techno-economically feasible for long-distance supply chains when supported by renewable energy integration and mature carrier systems and provide a robust and transparent benchmark for future comparative assessments of liquid organic hydrogen carrier technologies.