The Role of Green Hydrogen in Decarbonizing the Refining and Petrochemical Industries

The refining and petrochemical industries play an extremely important role in meeting society’s needs by providing products essential for various economic activities. Due to their dependence on fossil fuels (coal, crude oil, and natural gas), used both as an energy source and as raw materials, they are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of this review article is to present the potential for decarbonization in the refining and petrochemical industries. Hydrogen is used in large quantities in the refining processes and in the production of key products and intermediates in the petrochemical industry. This article examines the dependence of the refining and petrochemical sectors on hydrogen. To achieve this, key platforms/databases collecting information on publications, such as Web of Science and Scopus, were used. Studies by the International Energy Agency and the European Commission on developing policies for the hydrogen, emission reduction and industrial sectors guided the selection of papers. This article focuses on technologies related to the production of petrochemical products. A strong emphasis is placed on the fact that the primary cause of emissions in this industry is the use of large quantities of hydrogen, meaning that one of the main ways to reduce CO2 emissions is to replace traditionally produced hydrogen with green hydrogen, which is obtained using technologies that do not produce carbon dioxide emissions throughout the entire process. The emission intensity of hydrogen production is therefore a key issue that determines the decarbonization of these industries. Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 will not be possible without global cooperation from all stakeholders, including financial support for this sector. Decarbonization goals set at the national and global levels should reflect this fact.