This review examines the central role of hydrogen, particularly green hydrogen from renewable sources, in the global search for energy solutions that are sustainable and safe by design. Using the hydrogen square, safety measures across the hydrogen value chain—production, storage, transport, and utilisation—are discussed, thereby highlighting the need for a balanced approach to ensure a sustainable and efficient hydrogen economy. The review also underlines the challenges in safety assessments, points to past incidents, and argues for a comprehensive risk assessment that uses empirical modelling, simulation-based computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) for hydrogen dispersion, and quantitative risk assessments. It also highlights the activities carried out by our research group SaRAH (Safety, Risk Analysis, and Hydrogen) relative to a more rigorous risk assessment of hydrogen-related systems through the use of a combined approach of CFD simulations and the appropriate risk assessment tools. Our research activities are currently focused on underground hydrogen storage and hydrogen transport as hythane.

Energy and environmental issues are of great importance in the present era. The transition to renewable energy sources necessitates technological, political, and behavioral transformations. Hydrogen is a promising solution, and many countries are investing in the hydrogen economy. Global demand for hydrogen is expected to reach 120 million tonnes by 2024. The incorporation of hydrogen for efficient energy transport and storage and its integration into the transport sector are crucial measures. However, to fully develop a hydrogen-based economy, the sustainability and safety of hydrogen in all its applications must be ensured. This work describes and compares different technologies for hydrogen production, storage, and utilization (especially in fuel cell applications), with focus on the research activities under study at SaRAH group of the University of Naples Federico II. More precisely, the focus is on the production of hydrogen from bio-alcohols and its storage in formate solutions produced from renewable sources such as biomass or carbon dioxide. In addition, the use of materials inspired by nature, including biowaste, as feedstock to produce porous electrodes for fuel cell applications is presented. We hope that this review can be useful to stimulate more focused and fruitful research in this area and that it can open new avenues for the development of sustainable hydrogen technologies.

Hydrogen is expected to largely contribute to the near-future circular economy. Today, most hydrogen is still produced from fossil fuels or renewable pathways with low efficiency and high cost. Herein, a proof of concept for a novel hydrogen production process is proposed, here named cyan hydrogen, inspired by a combination of the green and blue processes, due to the key role played by water and the low carbon content in the gas phase, respectively. The developed novel process, recently patented and demonstrated at the lab scale, is based on successive steps in which ethanol (5.0 mL) and water (10.0 mL) are alternately fed, with a fixed initial amount of sodium metaborate (2.0 g), in a batch reactor at 300 °C. Preliminary results showed the simultaneous production of a 95% v/v hydrogen stream, a polymeric byproduct with a repetitive carbon pattern -CH₂-CH₂-, and a liquid phase rich in oxygenated chemicals at temperatures lower than conventional hydrogen production processes.

The applications of perovskites in chemical looping dry and steam reforming have shown promising results in efficient hydrogen production from hydrocarbons. Notably, LaFeO ₃ has shown exceptional capabilities in reforming processes, with surface oxygen contributing to the complete oxidation of methane to CO ₂ and H ₂ O, while bulk lattice oxygen promotes partial methane oxidation to H ₂ and CO. In this study, the effect of B‐site substitution in La _0.6 Sr _0.4 B _x B’ _1‐x O ₃ (B, B’ = Fe, CO, Mn) was systematically investigated with the aim to develop a material with enhanced redox properties and selectivity to syngas. Among the synthesized materials, under cyclic operation at 900 °C, La _0.6 Sr _0.4 Fe _0.6 Mn _0.4 O ₃ (LSFM) demonstrated improved redox activity, stability, and reproducibility. In addition, an innovative three‐step redox cycle is proposed in this study: (i) methane reduction at 900 °C, producing H ₂ ‐rich syngas and coke deposition, (ii) steam oxidation at 550 °C, producing pure H ₂ and reoxidation of the material, and (iii) steam oxidation at 900 °C, which gasifies the coke into syngas. Structural characterization indicated increasing perovskite stability with cycling by secondary phases disappearing while redox properties were unaffected. These results highlight the potential of Sr‐ and Mn‐substituted perovskites as efficient and durable oxygen carriers for chemical looping reforming.