HYDROGEN AS A DECARBONIZATION VECTOR: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ITS POTENTIAL FOR MITIGATING ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN INDUSTRIAL AND TRANSPORTATION SECTORS
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Universitas Negeri Gorontalo. Indonesia
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Abstract
The escalating global environmental crisis, largely driven by fossil fuel dependency, underscores the
urgent need for sustainable alternatives. Hydrogen has emerged as a key candidate for achieving
deep decarbonization in industrial and transportation sectors. This study systematically reviews 60
peer-reviewed publications from 2010–2024 to assess hydrogen’s environmental, technical, and
socio-economic implications. The findings indicate that hydrogen, particularly when produced via
renewable electrolysis, offers substantial emission reductions and strong synergy with fuel cell
technologies, though infrastructure costs and storage challenges remain critical barriers. The paper
concludes that a structured hydrogen economy could significantly enhance global sustainability,
provided that supportive policies and investment frameworks are established.
Description
Air pollution remains a critical global environmental challenge, exerting significant adverse
effects on ecosystems, human health, biological organisms, and material infrastructure (World Health
Organization [WHO], 2020; Silva et al., 2013). It constitutes a pervasive public health crisis,
particularly within industrialized and developing nations (WHO, 2020). Emissions originating from
industrial operations and transportation networks are primary contributors to the deterioration of
urban air quality worldwide. Despite the implementation of strategic environmental policies,
comprehensive air quality monitoring initiatives, and robust assessment frameworks, global
mitigation efforts against air pollution have demonstrated limited effectiveness. This inadequacy is
substantially attributable to inconsistent enforcement of environmental regulations, exacerbated by the
increasing impacts of climate change, anomalous meteorological patterns, ongoing environmental
degradation, and disruptions to ecological homeostasis (IPCC, 2014; Shaltami et al., 2020).