New research suggests that large-scale natural accumulations of hydrogen within mountain ranges could soon lead to a breakthrough in sustainable energy production.
According to new findings by an international collaboration of geoscientists led by Dr. Frank Zwaan from the GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences, advanced plate tectonic modeling has revealed evidence of natural hydrogen (H₂) production occurring within mountain ranges.
The new research points to regions where deep mantle rocks are exposed near the surface as areas with prime conditions for generating hydrogen, a candidate for use in energy systems. Specific areas featuring exposed deep mantle stone formations include mountain ranges like the Pyrenees and the Alps.
Fundamentally, Zwaan and his colleagues’ findings showcase the processes underlying the natural production of hydrogen and offer a path toward renewable energy resources that could help lessen our dependence on fossil fuels in the years ahead.
Tapping into the Earth’s Natural Hydrogen Reserves
Hydrogen represents a promising energy source for various future applications, including powering automobiles, generating electricity for homes and other buildings, and even fueling aircraft and rockets.
Although hydrogen can be produced synthetically, the process requires significant energy input and can potentially generate pollutants. Fortunately, natural hydrogen is continuously formed through radioactive decay, bacterial activity, and chemical reactions within the Earth’s crust.
However, in terms of large-scale production of natural hydrogen stores, the most promising mechanism currently known involves serpentinization, a reaction between water and mantle rocks that produces H₂ gas.
A problem arises, however, when it comes to accessibility. Since mantle rocks generally lie deep beneath the Earth’s surface, harnessing any rich hydrogen stores they may be producing can be extremely difficult. That isn’t so much the case in instances where tectonic movements cause rocks to become uplifted and exposed in various environments, allowing serpentinization.
The main challenge for geoscientists has been locating areas where these processes are taking place on a large enough scale that hydrogen extraction would be feasible… until now.
Why Mountain Ranges Are Prime Candidates
In their study, Zwaan and his colleagues relied on plate tectonic simulations that revealed processes occurring during the formation of mountains, which present conditions more favorable in terms of hydrogen generation than rift basins, which are areas where continents split apart.
In mountain ranges, mantle rocks that become thrust upward are exposed to cooler temperatures, which helps to facilitate serpentinization. Water circulation through fault systems further aids the process, which also helps optimize hydrogen production.
Mountain ranges can have up to 20 times greater hydrogen generation capacity than rift environments. Additionally, the presence of porous rock formations, including sandstone, helps these mountains serve as natural reservoirs for the accumulation of hydrogen.
A Turning Point for Hydrogen Exploration
The team’s findings represent a potential game-changer for natural hydrogen exploration and have already instigated renewed interest in searching geological areas, such as the Pyrenees, the European Alps, and the Balkans, that are likely to be hosts to such processes.
“Crucial to the success of these efforts will be the development of novel exploration strategies,” said Zwaan, the lead author of a new study detailing the team’s findings. “Understanding how geological history controls the formation of economic hydrogen accumulations will be key.”
Another key revelation from the team’s findings involves the timing of geological events. For hydrogen reservoirs to form, a region must first undergo rifting before mountain-building processes can bring mantle rocks to the surface. Zwaan and his colleagues believe that simulating these processes could allow geoscientists to predict more effectively where large-scale and economically viable hydrogen accumulations might exist.
The Future of Natural Hydrogen as an Energy Source
Amid an ever-increasing global demand for clean energy resources, Zwaan and his colleagues aren’t the only ones who recognize the potentially crucial role natural hydrogen could play in helping reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
Prof. Sascha Brune, head of GFZ’s Geodynamic Modeling Section, said the new research “advances our understanding of suitable environments for natural hydrogen generation,” adding that “now is the time to go further and investigate how hydrogen migrates and where viable reservoirs may form.”
For Zwann’s part, he believes the study he and his colleagues have produced marks a potentially significant moment not only for hydrogen exploration but also for the future of clean energy.
“We may be at a turning point,” Zwaan said, adding that the team’s findings “could be the birth of a new natural hydrogen industry.”
Zwaan and his colleagues’ new study, “Rift-inversion orogens are potential hot spots for natural H2 generation,” appeared in Science Advances.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.