New research from some of the world’s top scientific universities has given more credence to the type of natural hydrogen exploration that Gold Hydrogen is undertaking.
The work done by Oxford, Toronto, and Durham universities presents a compelling case for natural hydrogen as a scalable, low-carbon alternative to today’s CO₂-emitting hydrogen production.
The study has been published in Nature journal and says that the Earth’s continental crust has generated enough hydrogen over the past billion years to meet global energy demand for over 170,000 years.
In a boon for Gold Hydrogen’s play in South Australia, the researchers say their work confirms ‘‘viable hydrogen systems exist in common crustal settings worldwide’’. This is where Gold Hydrogen has found high levels of hydrogen and helium, not in speculative forays into the mantle, which appear less likely to result in commercial level hydrogen finds.
Coverage on the Akap Energy website said the research outlined the key ingredients needed to inform an exploration strategy to find different hydrogen systems. This includes how much hydrogen is produced and the rock types and conditions these occur in, how the hydrogen migrates underground from these rocks, the conditions that allow a gas field to form, and the conditions that destroy the hydrogen.
Study co-author Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar (University of Toronto) said, “We know, for example, that underground microbes readily feast on hydrogen. Avoiding environments that bring them into contact with the hydrogen is important in preserving hydrogen in economic accumulations.”
Lead author Professor Chris Ballentine (University of Oxford, Department of Earth Sciences) said, “Combining the ingredients to find accumulated hydrogen in any of these settings can be likened to cooking a soufflé—get any one of the ingredients, amounts, timing, or temperature wrong and you will be disappointed.’’
They said one successful exploration ‘recipe’ would unlock a commercially competitive, low-carbon hydrogen source that would significantly contribute to the energy transition.
Gold Hydrogen’s next drill campaign is scheduled for Q4.
Full Akap article here, and Oxford’s coverage on its own website is here.
Meanwhile, Canadian company Quebec Innovative Materials Corp has formed a joint venture with Black Tree Energy Group to develop natural hydrogen projects across the United States. Details here.