CNN
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Recent research suggests that significant deposits of white hydrogen may be found in various mountain ranges, igniting optimism that this environmentally friendly gas could be harnessed to enhance climate change mitigation efforts.

White hydrogen has recently attracted significant attention as a potential substitute for greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels. It was only in the last few decades that scientists began to recognize the existence of this potent fuel, sometimes referred to as “natural” or “geologic” hydrogen, within the Earth’s crust.

Since then, geologists have diligently studied its formation and potential locations. The primary challenge has been identifying substantial volumes to meet humanity’s ever-growing energy demands.

To address this, a research team employed computer simulations to analyze tectonic plate movements and identify areas conducive to white hydrogen generation. Their findings indicate that mountain ranges like the Pyrenees and the European Alps could serve as promising zones, as outlined in a study published in Science Advances last Wednesday.

Notably, hydrogen, which only produces water vapor when combusted, has been viewed as a viable green fuel choice for energy-intensive sectors such as aviation and steel production. However, most hydrogen today is generated from fossil fuels, undermining its potential as a climate-friendly solution.

This is precisely why white hydrogen represents such an appealing opportunity.

The interest in white hydrogen can be traced back to an accidental discovery in Mali in 1987, when a water well exploded due to a worker’s cigarette. This well was quickly sealed but reopened in 2011, and it has been supplying hydrogen to power a local community since then.

White hydrogen has been located in regions including the US, Australia, and France, but a key challenge has been the identification of substantial quantities.

“While we have understood that hydrogen occurs naturally, it has not been extensively explored as a viable energy source,” stated Frank Zwaan, a co-author of the study and geologist with the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Germany. As more accessible energy sources have been prioritized, the urgency to discover alternatives has intensified due to the escalating climate emergency.

The gas is produced naturally through various processes, including radioactive decay within the crust. However, Zwaan’s team concentrated on a process known as “serpentization,” which occurs when water interacts with iron-rich mantle rocks to yield hydrogen.

These mantle rocks typically lie deep underground where water is scarce, but geological shifts over millennia can bring them closer to the Earth’s surface. This can occur beneath oceans as continents split apart, causing mantle rocks to rise, or when continental collisions force these rocks upward.

The researchers utilized tectonic plate modeling to determine where and when this mantle rock was “exhumed” and in what quantities, Zwaan explained.

They identified several mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees, the European Alps, and parts of the Himalayas, as having optimal conditions for white hydrogen production, thanks to the presence of large amounts of mantle rock at favorable temperatures and deep faults that facilitate water circulation.

The available quantities of mantle rock in these mountain networks indicate that white hydrogen could play a transformative role, Zwaan asserted.

Geoffrey Ellis, a geochemist from the US Geological Survey who did not participate in the study, remarked that the mechanisms bringing mantle rocks closer to the surface are well-documented. However, this study offers a “quantitative approach” to assessing the potential for white hydrogen in different uplifted settings.

The crucial next step will be to identify where substantial reservoirs of white hydrogen can be located for extraction, Zwaan added. There’s also the possibility of artificially stimulating the serpentization process by drilling areas where mantle rocks are near the surface and introducing water into them.

Initial explorations are already taking place in regions such as France, the Balkans, and the US.

This research can assist geologists in directing their efforts to locations with the highest potential for significant white hydrogen resources, potentially having a “direct and substantial impact” on the exploration of geologic hydrogen, according to Ellis.

Several challenges remain in establishing a functional white hydrogen industry, such as developing effective and economical extraction methods as well as infrastructure for storage and transport. Zwaan anticipates that commercial realization will likely require decades, stating, “We should not expect it to be an instant miracle cure.”

Nonetheless, he remains hopeful. “Oil was initially viewed as a curiosity until the technology became available for large-scale application,” he speculated, suggesting that white hydrogen “could follow a similar trajectory.”