Experts have made a wonderful breakthrough by finding clean energy. Thanks to the efforts by scientists from the University of Oxford, Durham University, and the University of Toronto, an underground reserve of natural hydrogen has been found, and with this, humanity will have power for approximately 170,000 years. The problem lies in the fact that it’s almost impossible to extract this hydrogen.
A clean energy jackpot of hydrogen lies under the Earth’s crust
What has been found is nothing less than a hydrogen jackpot. Derived from hydrocarbons and able to generate 2,4% of global CO₂ emissions, natural geological hydrogen has formed. Thus far, the natural hydrogen has not been tampered with by humans. The hydrogen had been formed due to reactions between certain rocks and water in the Earth’s crust, and as such, produced immense quantities of hydrogen gas. As per the research published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, the full amount generated throughout Earth’s history could meet the global energy needs for a while.
Thus far, the natural reserves have been overlooked. However, a study has found what scientists are calling the “exploration recipe”. An eclectic mix of conditions of rock types, temperatures, water, chemistry, and tectonic history can be explored to tap into these hydrogen deposits.
The discovery was rather recent, but the conditions discovered in archaic and young formations provides clues as to where accessible hydrogen stores can be found throughout the world.
Why is the extraction of these hydrogen deposits impossible?
Tapping into this hydrogen potential has been deemed impossible as it seems to be trapped deep within the Earth’s crust. Although hydrogen is in full supply and we will no longer need to make the mistake of turning hydrogen black after this discovery, several other factors are standing in the way of easy extractions.
Technical limitations seem not to be interfering with the extraction process, but rather the microscopic life forms and a few geological factors that make it virtually impossible to preserve this hydrogen. A major setback is the hydrogen-hungry microbes that thrive in these underground environments. The microorganisms tend to feed on the grass, converting it into chemical forms and reducing traces of hydrogen long before humans can tap into it. According to Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar, from the University of Toronto, “Underground microbes readily feast on hydrogen.”
Biology, as such, may be preventing humans from extracting this hydrogen. That is accompanied by the fact that promising locations are those situated within difficult-to-reach layers of the Earth’s crust, further complicating the extraction process.
More about the ‘exploration recipe’
When Professor Chris Ballentine of the University of Oxford compares the hydrogen recipe to baking a soufflé, it becomes clear that when any of the ingredients are wrong or even when the timing is off, the entire perseveration of hydrogen endeavor will flop.
To be successful at this exploration recipe, researchers would need to consider:
- Rock types, for example, granite rocks, react with water to produce hydrogen.
- Fluid presence for the transportation of hydrogen.
- Geological structures like salt caps are meant to trap gas.
All of these considerations are required by researchers who intend launching an exploration company, Snowfox Discovery Ltd. The company will focus on finding commercially viable hydrogen fields that naturally exists. The overall mission would be to scale up the search for hydrogen and produce a carbon-free hydrogen supply that can be used to power the future.
What needs to be understood
While hydrogen is an estimated $135 billion global industry, it is anticipated that it would grow to $1 trillion by 2050. At the forefront of improving this energy game is finding the many sources of hydrogen. Hydrogen is needed for the clean energy game and to produce fertilizer.
The road to unlocking the existing hydrogen potential is steep, but researchers are optimistic that with research and investment, all of the Earth’s hidden hydrogen potential can be uncovered and extracted, one molecule at a time. Will we be seeing a new color of hydrogen soon?
