While carrying out work to check the risk of firedamp pockets in the abandoned mines of the Lorraine region in May, FDE discovered a large deposit of natural hydrogen:
For years, researchers and businesses in the private sector have been looking for rare natural hydrogen, otherwise known as native or white hydrogen, due to its potential as a clean and renewable energy source.
“If confirmed, this would be the largest potential natural hydrogen discovered to date in Europe,” Philippe de Donato, co-director of research at the GeoRessouces laboratory at the University of Lorraine, told France 3 Grand-Est at the end of May.
Indeed, it is believed that the Lorraine basin could contain 46 million tonnes of natural hydrogen — equivalent to half the world’s current hydrogen production — and enough to contribute to the EU’s decarbonisation objectives significantly.
Natural hydrogen is naturally present in the Earth’s crust and mantle, explains Isabelle Moretti, a researcher at the University of Pau and the Pays de l’Adour. It can be found in several places: “at ocean ridges, in the mountains with ophiolites, remnants of ancient oceanic rocks, but also in iron-rich rocks,” she said in an interview with L’Usine Nouvelle in June 2021.
The resource, which can be harnessed when it degases on the earth’s surface or when extracted with boreholes, has been on scientists’ radars for some time. But a broader interest in the resource arose as world nations sought to replace fossil gas with a clean-burning fuel.
Unlike hydrogen produced from natural gas or electrolysis, its natural counterpart requires no water and little energy to extract while taking up very little land.
[…]
Indeed, the Earth continuously produces natural hydrogen through chemical reactions that are mainly related to oxidation of ferrous iron minerals.
All these advantages make natural hydrogen a much cheaper resource than hydrogen produced from electrolysis. The price of natural hydrogen is estimated at €1 per kilo, while renewable hydrogen currently reaches €6, according to a position paper published in February at the request of the European Commission by the Earth2 initiative, a French body bringing together industry and research groups.
They have been talking about hydrogen for decades. Haven’t seen anything yet.
So, the world consumes 96 Mt of hydrogen per year, and this deposit contains 48 Mt? This is immensely small.
Also, to burn hydrogen as a fuel, you need very expensive and rare catalysts, such as Platinum or Palladium — and that’s where the bottleneck is.
Also, money costs don’t matter when talking about energy, only EROI.
Maybe we’ll see another Franco-Prussian war for control of the region.
When hydrogen is burned, the reaction product is water vapor — which happens to be by far the Number One “Global Warming Gas”.
It sucks to be a brain-dead environmentalist. It sucks even worse to be an evil politician who believes the brain-dead environmentalist. It sucks worst of all to be an ordinary citizen who can see how dumb this “Greenery” is, and yet still has to pay for it all.
Now, do a post about hydrogen embrittlement of metals and how it is impossible to seal joints to make them gas tight.
Bonus points for mentioning the Hindenberg.
It is bad enough with the fires caused by electric car and scooter batteries but if hydrogen is used commercially, then the explosions will make the electric car battery fiasco look like a toddler playing with matches.
You don’t need a catalyst unless you are burning it a fuel. Of course, with an open flame the efficiency drops into the 40% range.
The amount of free hydrogen in Lorraine is insignificant, and might not even warrant recovery, but there must be other deposits.
But the problem of steel embrittlement still limits transport and storage still limits hydrogen use. It must be generated onsite by electrolysis.
Let us all drive Hindenburgs.