University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Husker scientists exploring hydrogen energy potential from underground rift

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https://news.unl.edu/article/husker-scientists-exploring-hydrogen-energy-potential-from-underground-rift

October 15, 2024
Husker scientists exploring hydrogen energy potential from underground rift
By Dan Moser | Research and Innovation

Some 1.1 billion years ago, the North American continent nearly split in two, leaving behind a 1,200-mile swath of volcanic rocks known as the Midcontinent Rift that may be able to produce enough natural hydrogen to yield vast amounts of clean energy.

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To test the viability of hydrogen production in the rift, a test well was drilled in Nebraska five years ago. So far, the data is promising. Scientists believe it is possible the geomechanical and biogeochemical conditions in the rift limit the loss and consumption of this naturally generated hydrogen, which could leave trapped hydrogen “at an economically meaningful scale in the mid-continent subsurface.”

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“It could be deep enough to be stored but shallow enough that we can access it,” said Karrie Weber, professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences and biological sciences and another project investigator. “The geology is in our favor.”The U.S. Geological Survey estimates between tens of millions and tens of billions of megatons of hydrogen are in Earth’s crust. But much of that would be inaccessible to humans because it is either too deep or too far offshore, or present in amounts too small to exploit. That is what makes sites like the Midcontinent Rift so important. Other subsurface rifts in the world — located in France, Germany, Russia and the African continent — could also produce hydrogen, Kim said.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates there might be enough accessible natural hydrogen under the Earth’s surface to meet global energy needs for thousands of years.

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