MAST3RBoost Joins the 2nd Joint Webinar on LCA in EU Hydrogen Projects
On June 30th, 2025, MAST3RBoost had the pleasure of co-hosting the second joint webinar titled “Environmental Impact & Sustainability of Hydrogen Storage and Production – LCA Insights from EU Projects,” alongside fellow Horizon Europe projects MOST-H2 and MOF2H2.
The 90-minute online event brought together experts working on innovative hydrogen production and storage technologies to exchange perspectives on how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can guide sustainability in the hydrogen sector.
A Collaborative Space for Technical Exchange
The webinar featured:
An introductory keynote on the relevance of LCA in hydrogen systems.
Flash presentations from MAST3RBoost, MOST-H2, MOF2H2, and HySTrAm.
A roundtable discussion exploring key challenges, best practices, and future opportunities for harmonization across projects.
Attendees gained insights into practical LCA applications, the tools and databases used, and the role of LCA in shaping policies and technology choices in hydrogen innovation.
MAST3RBoost’s Contribution: Recycled Ultra-Porous Materials for Lower-Pressure Hydrogen Storage
Javier Sáez (Contactica) presented MAST3RBoost’s progress in developing ultra-porous materials from recycled sources designed to store hydrogen at high densities and much lower pressures (<100 bar) compared to the conventional 700 bar systems.
The LCA strategy follows the ISO 14040 standards, covering:
Functional unit definition (e.g., 1 kg of H₂ stored under specific conditions),
Life Cycle Inventory,
Impact assessment methods,
Sensitivity analysis and scenario modeling.
One of the main challenges highlighted was the selection of a meaningful functional unit, given that hydrogen storage capacity varies with temperature, pressure, and vessel geometry. The team emphasized the use of BET surface area and pore volume as proxies when complete storage data is not available, especially in early-stage “cradle-to-gate” assessments.
Another key point was the management of uncertainty in LCA and Life Cycle Costing (LCC), particularly when assessing lab-scale versus industrial-scale processes. Tools like Aspen Plus and sensitivity studies were used to simulate and refine real-world scenarios.
Building Bridges Between EU Projects
The roundtable discussion revealed shared challenges across all projects, such as data gaps, functional unit definition, and aligning system boundaries. It also emphasized the value of using common databases (e.g., ecoinvent, Environmental Footprint Method v3.1) and green chemistry tools (Finechem, Ecosolvent) to ensure consistent and transparent results.
This joint webinar served as an important step toward harmonizing methodologies across EU-funded hydrogen initiatives and strengthening collaboration in the pursuit of cleaner, more sustainable energy systems.
