The hunt for natural hydrogen reserves

Reserves of hydrogen had been stumbled upon previously as far back as 1888, when Dmitry Mendeleev reported his analysis of the gas seeping from a Ukrainian coal mine. Similar accidental hydrogen discoveries have cropped up all over the world since, but these drilling projects were all targeting hydrocarbon fossil fuels, so observations of hydrogen roused little more than marginal curiosity.

Now, with the race to decarbonise energy sources, combined with an increasing body of evidence that quantities of hydrogen in underground reserves may be significant, this ‘natural hydrogen’ is finally starting to attract some limelight. At an estimated $1 per kg it is comparatively cheap as well as clean. While questions remain – such as where to drill for it, what flux of hydrogen to expect and for how long – with both research and industry involved, the prospects of a natural hydrogen fuel economy seems to be growing ever brighter. The interest attracted is also helping to shed light on what might be going on in the broader hydrogen cycle, potentially resolving some longstanding conundrums around Earth’s geology. An era of hydrogen fuelled science in more ways than one is upon us.