“When it comes to natural hydrogen, France was a pioneer and is now being overtaken by a number of other countries. This was the warning issued by geologist Isabelle Moretti, at the presentation, on Tuesday July 16, of an opinion by the Académie des technologies aimed at “accelerating the characterization of the resource and the exploration of natural hydrogen in France”. The document is accompanied by recommendations for “staying in the race”. Because “in France, there’s no red light, but we could speed things up”, says the scientist who is the main author of this opinion.

The manufacture of hydrogen underground has long remained “a subject of academic research”, she points out. But it’s becoming an energy issue at a time when everyone is looking to make decarbonized hydrogen. However, to date “99% of our hydrogen is not decarbonized at all, it comes either from methane, liquid hydrocarbons or coal” (“grey” or “black” hydrogen), the rest being produced by electrolysis (“green” hydrogen), which itself requires a lot of energy and water.

In this respect, “white” hydrogen is a source of great hope. Not only is it clean, it’s also “hyper-competitive, so it’s worth moving forward”, enthuses the researcher. The reaction that generates this hydrogen in the subsoil is now well understood: it’s an interaction between water and rock. The best-known process involves the oxidation of ferrous rock in contact with water, releasing hydrogen which rises to the surface. The other reaction is linked to radiolysis, i.e. the radiation from radioactive rocks that breaks water molecules on contact.

Find out more at https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/lacademie-des-technologies-appelle-liberer-le-potentiel-de-lhydrogene-blanc