Black & Veatch in Pursuit of 'White' Hydrogen

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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Following the release of a report that described natural hydrogen as "white gold," Kansas-based engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company Black & Veatch (Kansas City) said it will study potential extraction opportunities in Australia.

The company said it reached an agreement with Australian hydrogen company H2EX Ltd., to study the development of so-called white hydrogen, which refers to hydrogen found in its natural form as a gas.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but it's usually only found incorporated with other elements. Two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom makes water. There are four hydrogen atoms, meanwhile, bonded to one atom of carbon to form methane gas.

So-called green hydrogen is a process that breaks water into its elemental components using an electric current powered by renewable energy. Grey hydrogen uses high temperatures and steam to break up methane.

Black & Veatch said it is in the pursuit of the white hydrogen in Australia, which could help with low-carbon strategies in the burgeoning Asia-Pacific region.

"Decarbonization efforts in the Asia Pacific are a priority for Black & Veatch," said Yatin Premchand, the company's managing director for strategic growth. "This includes extracting natural hydrogen, a potential clean energy source for the region."

Norwegian consultancy Rystad Energy described the pursuit of natural hydrogen as a "white gold" rush, with as many as 40 different companies searching for natural deposits last year. That's up from just 10 in 2020.

Rystad added that the richer the hydrogen content, the lower the carbon intensity. A mixture with 75% hydrogen is far more carbon intensive than a mix containing 85% hydrogen.

"Although still in its infancy with lots of uncertainty, white hydrogen has the potential to be a gamechanger for the clean hydrogen sector as an affordable, clean natural resource, thereby shifting the role of hydrogen from an energy carrier to part of the primary energy supply," said Minh Khoi Le, the head of hydrogen research at Rystad. "However, the actual size of the reserves is still unclear, and the transportation and distribution challenges of hydrogen remain."

Much of the entire industry is in its nascent stage, with much of the hydrogen today coming from the grey production method. Cleaner methods are considerably more expensive, with Rystad estimating that green hydrogen is three times more costly than grey hydrogen on average.

Black & Veatch sees hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels in the electric sector as well as in energy storage and fertilizers. The company added that extracting hydrogen could be up to 75% more cost effective than current manufacturing processes.

The company will produce two concept designs for white hydrogen exploration on the Eyre Peninsula in southern Australia. Black & Veatch has an 80-year history working with hydrogen. The study is funded in part by the Australian government.

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