Assessment and Mitigation of the Environmental and Social Impacts of Advanced Clean Fuel Systems Across Their Life Cycle

Advanced clean fuels — including green hydrogen, biofuels, synthetic fuels (e-fuels), and ammonia — are increasingly positioned as the means to decarbonize sectors that resist direct electrification, such as heavy industry, aviation, maritime transport, long-haul freight, agriculture, and mining. Their contribution to a sustainable energy transition, however, cannot be judged at the point of combustion alone. The negative impacts of these systems accumulate across the full chain, from feedstock extraction and land conversion, through processing and fuel synthesis, to transport, storage, delivery, and end use. Quantifying and reducing those impacts is essential to establishing whether a given fuel pathway represents a genuine improvement over the incumbent it replaces.This Research Topic aims to advance the technical, economic, social, and environmental assessment of advanced clean fuel systems, and to identify the structural changes needed for their sustainable deployment. We are particularly interested in work that examines whether these pathways can be supported within planetary limits, that evaluates emerging fuel technologies at low technology readiness levels before scale-up commitments are made, and that develops the methodologies needed to compare pathways on a consistent basis. Contributions may address hydrogen, biofuel, synthetic fuel, and other low-carbon carriers, including comparisons with conventional fuel systems where these inform improved outcomes for ecosystems, landscapes, and communities.Submissions should provide detailed, in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of advanced clean fuel technologies and systems, as well as their potential contribution to Sustainable Development Goals including affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and climate action (SDG 13).To gather further insights into the sustainability of advanced clean fuel systems across their life cycles, this Research Topic welcomes articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Life cycle assessment of clean fuel production, delivery, and end use, including carbon, water, and land footprinting studies- Net energy analysis of fuel pathways, including energy return on investment (EROI), energy payback time (EPBT), and related metrics- Development of novel methodologies for the consistent evaluation and comparison of competing fuel pathways- Evaluation of emerging fuel technologies, especially at low technology readiness levels (TRL)- Feedstock sourcing, land and water use, and cumulative territorial effects of production at scale- Biodiversity impacts, habitat alteration, and land-use change associated with fuel infrastructure- Emissions, air quality, and consequences for populations and ecosystems along the supply chain- Sectoral applications of clean fuels in aviation, maritime transport, heavy freight, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and water treatment- Site selection, spatial planning, and territorial integration of production and storage facilities- Mitigation strategies, process controls, and adaptive management to reduce system impacts- End-of-life management, decommissioning, circularity, and resource recovery- Monitoring frameworks, decision-support tools, and stakeholder engagement- Energy policy and corporate governance measures that directly shape the development and adoption of clean fuel systems- Visions for the future, including the role of clean fuels in a fossil-fuel-free energy sector Topic editors: Angel Gaspar González Rodríguez, José Vicente Muñoz Díez, Muzan Williams Ijeoma Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84198/assessment-and-mitigation-of-the-environmental-and-social-impacts-of-advanced-clean-fuel-systems-across-their-life-cycle