Underground Reservoirs of the Prized Substance - White Hydrogen
The world of energy is abuzz with excitement as a new player emerges on the scene: white hydrogen, also known as natural hydrogen. This emerging field is gaining significant interest from governments, startups, and energy companies worldwide, making it a potential game-changer in the quest for clean, sustainable energy.
White hydrogen is generated through geological processes such as serpentinization, water-rock reactions, and radiolysis, often accumulating in subterranean pockets, including mountain ranges and tectonically active zones. These reserves have been found globally across multiple continents, indicating widespread availability that could support energy independence and diversification.
One of the key advantages of white hydrogen is its potential low cost and low carbon emissions. Unlike green hydrogen (electrolysis) or blue hydrogen (with carbon capture), white hydrogen forms naturally underground without the need for energy-intensive production methods. Early economic evaluations suggest that it could be produced cheaply, with costs estimated around $0.5 to $1 per kilogram, competitive with other hydrogen production pathways and fossil fuels. Its extraction also has a very low carbon footprint, making it one of the cleanest hydrogen sources available.
However, the exploration and extraction of white hydrogen face technical challenges. Natural hydrogen can escape or be consumed underground, and it requires specific geological conditions to accumulate. Despite these challenges, white hydrogen holds promise for accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels by providing an abundant, clean fuel that can be extracted directly rather than produced from renewable electricity.
As the demand for low-carbon hydrogen grows for sectors like heavy industry, transportation, and power generation, white hydrogen could become a vital, zero-carbon hydrogen source with minimal emissions and no additional energy input for production. It holds the potential to substantially support the clean energy transition, especially for industries hard to electrify.
Commercial-scale production and widespread use of white hydrogen are still in the early stages, so further geological exploration, extraction technology development, and resource confirmation are needed. Companies such as Mantle8, a French hydrogen exploration start-up, are developing innovative technologies to pinpoint the specific location of white hydrogen reservoirs, aiming to identify 10 million tonnes of hydrogen reserves by 2030 and produce its first kilogram of hydrogen by 2030 at around $0.80 (£0.60) per kg.
However, it's important to note that whether replenishing reservoirs of extractable hydrogen exist underground is a genuine scientific question that remains to be proven. Additionally, the impact of white hydrogen extraction on underground ecosystems and the microbial life that rely on hydrogen as an energy source is still a topic of research.
In summary, white hydrogen is positioned as a potentially transformative energy resource with large-scale reserves globally and strong environmental and economic benefits. Its development could substantially support the clean energy transition, especially for industries hard to electrify. Nevertheless, commercial exploitation is nascent, and addressing geological and technical challenges is essential for it to fulfill this role.
- The energy transition is becoming more exciting as white hydrogen, or natural hydrogen, is gaining significant attention from various sectors.
- Green hydrogen, which is produced through electrolysis, and blue hydrogen, which uses carbon capture, are not as cost-effective or low-carbon as white hydrogen.
- In environmental science, white hydrogen is a promising fuel source due to its low carbon emissions and potential for abundance in subterranean pockets.
- Some startups, like Mantle8, are investing in technology to locate white hydrogen reserves more efficiently, with the goal of identifying 10 million tonnes by 2030.
- White hydrogen could play a pivotal role in the food-and-drink, travel, sports, real-estate, finance, and business sectors, as it can be used as a clean fuel for industries that are difficult to electrify.
- Data-and-cloud-computing and technological advancements are crucial for ensuring the efficient and sustainable extraction of white hydrogen.
- Climate-change researchers are studying the potential impact white hydrogen extraction could have on underground ecosystems and the microbial life that rely on hydrogen as an energy source.
- Some sectors, like heavy industry and transportation, may adopt white hydrogen as a zero-carbon hydrogen source with minimal emissions and no additional energy input for production.
- The weather will play a significant role in the future of white hydrogen, as geologists and explorers will need to navigate mountain ranges and tectonically active zones to extract this clean energy source.
