Natural Hydrogen: Formation, Current Reserves & Advantages

• Context (TH): Natural Hydrogen is hailed as the future fuel, offering a clean, low-cost energy source that could decarbonize the global economy and significantly reduce carbon emissions.

What is Natural Hydrogen?

• Natural Hydrogen, or white or gold hydrogen, is molecular hydrogen (H₂) that occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust and is released through geological processes.
• It’s found and extracted directly from nature, unlike green hydrogen, which is produced using electricity from renewable sources, or grey hydrogen, made from fossil fuels.
• It seeps out from rock formations, volcanic vents, and fault zones. Recent discoveries show that natural hydrogen is more widespread than previously believed.

How is it Formed?

• Serpentinization: Chemical reaction between water & iron-rich rocks like olivine in ultramafic rocks.
• Radiolysis: The splitting of water molecules due to natural radiation in rocks.
• Volcanic and Tectonic Activity: It releases hydrogen from deep within the Earth.

Sources of Natural Hydrogen

• Degassing of deep hydrogen from Earth’s crust and mantle.
• Water in contact with reducing agents in Earth’s mantle.
• Weathering – water in contact with freshly exposed rock surfaces.
• Decomposition of hydroxyl ions in the structure of minerals.
• Decomposition of organic matter.
• Biological activity.

Current Reserves

• Worldwide: Australia (Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island), USA, Spain, France, Albania, Canada etc.
  • Active mountain ranges with tectonic activity, such as the Pyrenees, Alps, and Himalayas, are also considered for geological hydrogen production.
• India: Regions like the Dharwar and Singhbhum cratons, Himalayan and Andaman ophiolites, and hot spring zones indicate favourable geological conditions for natural hydrogen.

Advantages of Natural Hydrogen

• Energy: If just 2% of the potential reserves are commercially viable, they could yield twice the energy of all proven natural gas reserves, enough to meet global hydrogen demand for nearly 200 years.
• Zero Emissions: When burned or used in fuel cells, hydrogen produces only water as a byproduct—no carbon dioxide.
• Abundant & Renewable: Some sources continuously regenerate, making natural hydrogen effectively renewable in specific settings.
• Low Extraction Cost: Early studies suggest it could be significantly cheaper to extract than producing green hydrogen via electrolysis.

Concerns

• It is still unclear how much of that potential can be tapped economically.
• Most natural hydrogen is likely dispersed too widely to be economically recoverable.
• Lack of exploration infrastructure and drilling data.
• Uncertainty around the size and sustainability of reserves.
• Need for regulatory frameworks and market incentives.

Natural hydrogen may not be a silver bullet, but it has the potential to become a significant part of the global clean energy solution. As countries invest in hydrogen strategies and clean technologies, natural hydrogen could offer a low-cost, low-emission energy source that complements solar, wind, and green hydrogen.