Hydrogen from Natural Sources? 'White' Hydrogen Lurks Under the Ground and Under the Radar

February 27, 2023--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--More and more scientists and agencies, including the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Advanced Research Projects Agency (also a government entity), are considering whether what's called variously "natural," "white" or "geologic" hydrogen could be available in significant quantities for commercial development.

While hydrogen as a future fuel is gaining popularity, one of its biggest hindrances revolves around its production--or separation into a useful state. Pundits have assigned various colors, from grey--for the most common method, separation from natural gas--to green, for separation from water molecules using renewable power. But building enough plants to make any color hydrogen is expensive and consumes a lot of energy just in the processing end--which does not include storage and shipping.

Natural hydrogen would solve several issues when compared with the processed version. Some observers estimate that white hydrogen would cost about 2/3 of the blue variety (derived from natural gas with associated carbon capture) and 1/3 of green hydrogen (derived from water using power from wind, solar, etc.).