Assoc. Prof. Feride Kulalı Özdek: “Nuclear energy is an important option for low-carbon and continuous hydrogen production”

Within the scope of the Sustainable Future Seminars organized by Üsküdar University COP31 Coordination, a seminar titled “Nuclear to Hydrogen: Production Technologies and Future Perspective” was held. Speaking at the seminar, Assoc. Prof. Feride Kulalı Özdek, faculty member of the Nuclear Technology and Radiation Safety Program at the Vocational School of Health Services (SHMYO), addressed many topics, from hydrogen production technologies to its storage, and from the advantages of hydrogen production with nuclear energy to the technical and economic challenges encountered. Özdek emphasized that carbon emissions must be reduced and efficiency increased in production processes for hydrogen to be used as a clean energy source. Özdek said; “Nuclear energy is an important option for low-carbon and continuous hydrogen production.” 

The Sustainable Future Seminars, organized by Üsküdar University COP31 Coordination, continue to address the contributions of different disciplines to the fight against climate change. 

In this context, Assoc. Prof. Feride Kulalı Özdek discussed the role of hydrogen in energy systems in an online seminar titled “Nuclear to Hydrogen: Production Technologies and Future Perspective.”

Özdek, who works in the field of nuclear physics, covered various topics in her presentation, from the impacts of climate change to the environmental consequences of energy consumption, and from hydrogen production methods to the potential of nuclear reactors in this process.

“Producing energy correctly is crucial”

Stating that the effects of climate change are becoming more visible in daily life, Özdek drew attention to the relationship between energy consumption and carbon emissions. Özdek noted that energy demand has increased with technological developments and industrialization; “As technology enters our daily lives, as the Industrial Revolution takes place, and as we increasingly need more devices and more machines, we also need more energy. This energy is now a matter that causes wars and shifts in power balances among nations. Therefore, producing energy correctly is extremely important from an environmental perspective.” she said.

“We encounter some challenges when producing hydrogen”

Özdek mentioned that hydrogen is mostly found in compounds in nature and needs to undergo various production processes to be made usable; “No carbon emissions occur as a result of hydrogen combustion. Therefore, when we use hydrogen, we can actually consider it a clean energy, but we encounter some challenges when producing hydrogen. In particular, it would be more efficient to produce hydrogen from raw materials that contain the most hydrogen. Natural gas, or methane, is at the forefront of these. Natural gas and coal can be raw materials for hydrogen. However, when hydrogen is separated from carbon-containing substances, gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released into the environment.” she explained.

“If we use renewable energy sources, we obtain clean energy”

Underlining that water electrolysis is an important alternative in hydrogen production, Özdek emphasized that the source of electricity used in this method is also decisive. Özdek said; “As a result of water electrolysis, we can obtain energy without any carbon emissions. However, as the name suggests, water electrolysis also requires the use of electricity. If we obtain the electricity to be used here from fossil fuels, this does not mean carbon-free, clean energy. If we use renewable energy sources in hydrogen production, then we truly obtain clean energy.”

“There are technical difficulties in the storage and transportation of hydrogen”

Özdek noted that hydrogen needs to be pressurized or liquefied to be stored in large quantities due to its low density; “Hydrogen provides us with an advantage of long-term storage and high storage capacity. However, there can be some disadvantages and difficulties during hydrogen storage. Hydrogen gas has a very low density. Therefore, to store hydrogen on a large scale, we need to pressurize and also cool it. This means an additional process. Safety measures must be taken due to the high pressure generated during hydrogen storage. We can liquefy hydrogen, and for this, we need to cool it down to minus 253 degrees Celsius.” she stated. 

“We cannot prevent carbon dioxide emissions in grey hydrogen”

Stating that hydrogen obtained through water electrolysis using renewable energy sources is called “green hydrogen,” Özdek said that hydrogen is classified with different colors according to production methods. Özdek explained; “Hydrogen can be produced from fossil fuels and natural gas. However, this is not clean hydrogen; it continues to emit carbon into nature. When methods that capture, filter, and store carbon instead of releasing it into nature during hydrogen production are used, blue hydrogen can be obtained. In grey hydrogen, we cannot prevent carbon dioxide emissions. Since water electrolysis does not create any carbon emissions, we can classify hydrogen based on its production technology. If we obtain hydrogen through electrolysis using entirely renewable energy, namely geothermal, solar, and wind energy, we call it green hydrogen. Hydrogen obtained from nuclear energy is called pink hydrogen.”

“We have the opportunity to produce hydrogen with lower electricity costs”

Özdek touched upon the contributions nuclear power plants can make to hydrogen production, stating that these facilities offer the opportunity to utilize high-temperature heat in addition to electricity generation. Özdek said; “We produce electricity in a nuclear power plant. At the same time, there is high heat. While we would normally have to dissipate the heat from this steam with cooling towers, we make this heat usable in hydrogen production. The nuclear reactor system provides us with two important factors for hydrogen production simultaneously. Although water electrolysis can occur at normal room temperature or low temperatures, if we heat this system, that is, if we heat the water to turn it into steam and can bring this steam to high temperatures, we have the opportunity to produce hydrogen using less electricity and with lower electricity costs.” she explained.

Advantages and limitations of nuclear-assisted hydrogen production were discussed

Özdek stated that hydrogen production with nuclear energy offers significant opportunities for low-carbon industry, noting that environmental, technical, and economic factors must be considered together when evaluating this method.

Özdek also expressed that existing technologies being designed for fossil fuels might create additional costs during the transition process, and stated that the widespread adoption of hydrogen depends on the development of production facilities, as well as vehicles, equipment, and distribution infrastructure.

At the end of her speech, Özdek stated that nuclear energy can be considered a low-carbon and continuous option in hydrogen production, and drew attention to the importance of developing production technologies, ensuring safe integration, and improving economic conditions. 

Özdek thanked the participants and expressed her wish for a future with reduced impacts of climate change.