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Geological hydrogen is increasingly popular, and mining plans still face significant challenges
The website of New Scientist magazine in the UK pointed out in a recent report that in just one year, geological hydrogen has moved from the edge of science to the center of the clean energy stage, sparking interest from many startups who are committed to developing this technology.
Geological hydrogen is increasingly popular
With the increasing emphasis on environmental protection and sustainable development, hydrogen energy, as an emerging clean energy source, has attracted widespread attention worldwide. Hydrogen is a pollution-free energy source that only produces water vapor during its combustion process and does not release any greenhouse gases or pollutants. In addition, hydrogen has a high energy density, which makes it a key factor in achieving the transformation of clean energy.
Governments around the world are supporting various efforts to clean produce hydrogen, and low-carbon hydrogen energy sources with great potential include "blue hydrogen" and "green hydrogen". Blue hydrogen is produced by burning natural gas and coal, while using carbon capture technology to treat the carbon dioxide generated during the combustion process, but it cannot fully guarantee "zero carbon". The use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy for power generation, and the hydrogen generated by electrolysis of water with these electricity sources, is called "green hydrogen". The entire process does not produce carbon dioxide and is considered the best way to achieve carbon neutrality.
New Scientist reports that geological hydrogen may be cheaper and equally clean. Geological hydrogen is generated by the natural interaction between groundwater and iron rich rocks in the mantle, with almost zero impact on the environment, and is expected to become a renewable energy source.
According to the official website of the United States Geological Survey on April 14, 2023, geologists have known that there are dozens of natural processes that can produce hydrogen gas, but it is still unclear which mechanisms can produce large amounts of hydrogen gas. It is generally believed that when groundwater interacts with iron rich minerals such as olivine (a green magnesium iron silicate), it will reduce water to oxygen and hydrogen. Oxygen combines with iron in the minerals, and hydrogen will escape to the surrounding rocks.
On this basis, ARPA-E hopes to fund methods to promote the production of geological hydrogen from underground minerals. ARPA-E project director Doug Wicks stated that this funding project focuses on artificially promoting a major hydrogen production reaction - serpentinization. When water encounters iron rich rocks at high temperatures and pressures, serpentinization occurs. These reactions convert minerals such as olivine into serpentine, releasing hydrogen gas during this process. One method is to pump water underground, which interacts with iron rich minerals to produce hydrogen gas - sometimes referred to as "orange hydrogen gas".
Numerous teams and companies see opportunities
Geoffrey Ellis of the United States Geological Survey stated that as more teams and companies strive to obtain geological hydrogen for clean energy, people's enthusiasm for geological hydrogen is also increasing. Ellis recently held consultations with the Oman government on the potential of geological hydrogen in Oman.
Totti Larson of the University of Texas at Austin said his team is looking for catalysts that can lower the temperature required to produce hydrogen by mixing water with iron rich rocks. The Natural Hydrogen Energy Company, headquartered in Colorado, is also preparing to drill in Nebraska and Kansas in the United States. The company believes that stimulating underground mineral production of geological hydrogen poses more challenges than extracting natural hydrogen, but also has greater potential.
American startup Koloma received $91 million in financing from Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Risk Fund and others, making it the most fully funded entity in the geological hydrogen industry. The company has started drilling the first well in the Midwest of the United States, collecting rock and gas samples for analysis. Their goal is to determine the location with the highest hydrogen purity and production, in order to ultimately convert these resources into practical clean energy.
The company can utilize the underground serpentine petrochemical process to continuously generate regenerated hydrogen. During this process, underground iron and magnesium based minerals decompose in water, producing hydrogen rich fluids and other minerals, which can meet 30% of the global hydrogen demand.
The pursuit of geological hydrogen is not limited to Koloma, but major energy companies such as Shell, BP, and Chevron are also investigating this renewable energy source. Gold Hydrogen, an Australian company, has also joined the exploration of geological hydrogen. Hydroma, headquartered in Montreal, even began extracting hydrogen gas from wells discovered years ago in Mali.
Extracting hydrogen still poses significant challenges
The official website of the United States Geological Survey points out that although geological hydrogen brings hope, further research is still needed to truly tap into geological hydrogen energy.
Scientists point out that geological hydrogen, a resource that has not been fully utilized to a large extent, is mainly due to the challenging nature of locating large geological reserves of hydrogen and extracting hydrogen from deep underground or offshore sources. In view of this, the United States Geological Survey is utilizing its expertise in fields such as oil, geothermal, and mineral resources to enhance its understanding of the potential of geological hydrogen resources. The agency plans to release a map showing which areas are most likely to be rich in geological hydrogen resources, and develop exploration tools and strategies to enhance understanding of geological hydrogen energy and help meet future energy needs.
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