Environmental impact of manufacturing processes within the PEMFC manufacturing phase

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), as one of the most mature fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, will be one of the key technologies of Europe’s energy transition. To critically assess the potential environmental benefits of PEMFC, a Life cycle assessment (LCA) study is needed. Although the use phase contributes the most emissions, the manufacturing phase should not be neglected, due to the use of critical materials, especially platinum. Most of the LCA studies simplify the manufacturing phase and include only raw material extraction and production. The study presents a comprehensive LCA of the PEMFC stack with a complete manufacturing phase which includes raw material extraction and production, manufacturing processes, and End-of-Life treatment of waste flows generated in the manufacturing phase. The comprehensive case is benchmarked with the reference case which includes only raw material extraction and production. Results show that, although emissions of manufacturing processes are not negligible, the environmental impact is not significant and simplification is justified.