PM_2.5-related health impacts of utilizing ammonia-hydrogen energy in Kanto Region, Japan

Highlights

Health impacts of utilizing ammonia as chemical carrier were investigated.

Influenced by ammonia emissions, PM_2.5 increased 11.7% in winter and 3.5% in summer.

PM_2.5-related premature deaths turned to be 351 per year.

Abstract

Ammonia has emerged as a promising hydrogen carrier with applications as an energy source in recent years. However, in addition to being toxic, gaseous ammonia is a precursor of secondary inorganic aerosols. The concentration of ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is intrinsically connected to public health. In this study, PM_2.5-related health impacts of utilizing ammonia-hydrogen energy in Kanto Region, Japan, were investigated. It was assumed that 20% of the electricity consumption in Kanto Region, the most populated area in Japan, was supplied by ammonia-hydrogen energy. The PM_2.5 resulted from incomplete ammonia decomposition was simulated by a chemical transport model: ADMER-PRO (modified version). Based on the incremental PM_2.5 concentration, health impacts on the elderly (individuals over 65 years old) were quantitatively evaluated. The ammonia emission in this scenario increased PM_2.5 by 11.7% (0.16 μg·m^–3·y^–1) in winter and 3.5% (0.08 μg·m^–3·y^–1) in summer, resulting in 351 premature deaths per year. This study suggests that cost-effective emissions control or treatment and appropriate land planning should be considered to reduce the associated health impacts of this type of energy generation. In addition, further in-depth research, including cost-benefit analysis and security standards, is needed.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Ammonia emissions / Energy carrier / Hydrogen energy / Fine particulate matters / Atmospheric modeling / Premature death

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Agency for Science and Technology of Japan. We would like to acknowledge Dr. Kikuo Yoshida (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) and Johan Syafri Mahathir Ahmad (University of Tsukuba) for their valuable suggestions.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11783-018-1005-3 and is accessible for authorized users.

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