White Hydrogen Drilling Push Gains Momentum Across Three Continents
Scientists and start-ups believe naturally occurring hydrogen could be the next major geological breakthrough, unleashing huge amounts of hydrogen to power the clean energy transition. Researchers in the United States, Canada, and Australia are mapping and discovering potential sources of so-called geologic hydrogen, or white hydrogen, which would be mined instead of produced from electrolysis…
White hydrogen, or geologic hydrogen, is gaining momentum as a potential game-changer in the clean energy transition, with researchers in the United States, Canada, and Australia mapping and discovering potential sources of this naturally occurring hydrogen. Unlike green hydrogen, which is produced using renewable energy to electrolyze water, white hydrogen is mined from rocks underground.
Recent breakthroughs, such as the discovery of a potentially huge hydrogen source in Western Australia's iron ore deposits in the Pilbara region, suggest that natural hydrogen could become an alternative to costly green hydrogen production. The Australian study, published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, found that hydrogen production depends on factors such as the amount of magnetite present and the accessibility of fresh mineral surfaces through fractures, pores, and permeable pathways.
Meanwhile, Canadian geochemists found that hydrogen gas is building up within the Canadian Shield, indicating critical untapped opportunities for white hydrogen exploration.
Brief written by urgent.news from OilPrice's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
