Scientists and start-ups believe that naturally occurring hydrogen could be the next major geological breakthrough, unlocking vast amounts of hydrogen to power the clean energy transition. Researchers in the United States, Canada, and Australia are mapping and discovering potential sources of so-called geologic hydrogen, or white hydrogen, which would be mined rather than produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity—the process behind so-called green hydrogen.

The interest in white hydrogen is driven in part by its potential cost advantage: because it does not require renewable-powered electrolysis, backers hope it could be produced more cheaply than green hydrogen if commercially recoverable deposits are found. The concept gained wider attention after a well in Mali that had been producing hydrogen-bearing gas since the 1980s was publicly identified as a natural hydrogen source, spurring exploration beyond academic circles.

Several major discoveries in recent months have raised hopes that natural hydrogen mined from underground rocks could offer an alternative to the still-costly production of green hydrogen. Green hydrogen has failed to live up to the hype in recent years, with a wide gap between planned and actually launched projects amid high costs and struggles to secure offtake deals.

As enthusiasm for green hydrogen has somewhat faded, researchers and mining companies are exploring another avenue for hydrogen output: extracting natural hydrogen from rocks underground.

Australian breakthrough in the Pilbara

The most recent breakthrough that could seed a whole new industry was announced in Australia, where scientists identified a potentially huge hydrogen source in Western Australia's iron ore deposits in the Pilbara region.

The study, published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy by researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) School of Engineering, focused on the mineral magnetite, which is found in iron ore deposits.

The researchers experimented by exposing magnetite samples to water at temperatures of 200°C and under high-pressure conditions for 60 days, replicating the environment found deep beneath the Earth's surface. They say they found a way to stimulate hydrogen production by injecting a solution into banded iron formations, which significantly increases the potential to harness this naturally occurring resource.

According to the team, their research provides one of the clearest insights yet into how natural hydrogen forms underground and the conditions needed to sustain production.

"Western Australia has some of the world's largest banded iron formations. If we can unlock this resource at scale, it could be transformative for our energy future," lead author Kaveh Moghanirahimi said.

The experiment could bridge the gap between laboratory research and real-world hydrogen exploration, said Professor Stefan Iglauer from ECU's School of Engineering.

"Our findings show that hydrogen production depends not only on the amount of magnetite present, but also on how easily water can access fresh mineral surfaces through fractures, pores and permeable pathways," Professor Iglauer commented.

Hydrogen accumulation in the Canadian Shield

The Australian study comes shortly after Canadian geochemists at the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa earlier this year found that hydrogen gas is steadily building up within the Canadian Shield, among some of the oldest rocks on Earth. They mapped natural hydrogen concentration and tracked its long-term accumulation at a single location, making it possible to assess potential hydrogen exploration.

"The data from this study suggests there are critical untapped opportunities to access a domestic source of cost-effective energy produced from the rocks beneath our feet," said the lead author of the study, University Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar in the Department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto.

"Natural hydrogen is produced over time through underground chemical reactions between rocks and the groundwaters in those rocks," Sherwood Lollar said. "Canada is blessed that vast amounts of its territories, especially on the Canadian Shield, contain the right rocks and minerals to create this natural hydrogen."

In Canada, local firm Max Power Mining is already exploring for white hydrogen, and has begun drilling a third validation well to 2,278 meters (7,473 ft) underground at the Lawson Complex in southern Saskatchewan.

U.S. exploration and first national mapping

Exploration has started in the United States as well. Australia-listed HyTerra is production testing for white hydrogen at its Nemaha Project in Kansas and conducting well testing at its Geneva Project in Nebraska.

"Establishing a commercial geologic hydrogen project remains our clear focus," HyTerra CEO Riley Kemp said last month, commenting on production testing results at the McCoy-1 well at Nemaha.

Last year, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published the first map of prospective locations of naturally occurring geologic hydrogen resources in the United States. The map revealed areas of interest that could hold accumulations of geologic hydrogen, including a mid-continent region covering Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan; the Four Corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah; the California coast; and areas along the Eastern seaboard.

For now, the emerging industry remains at the exploration and validation stage, and the key open question is whether any of these wells—in Saskatchewan, Kansas, or Nebraska—can demonstrate sustained, commercially viable hydrogen flows.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com