Although natural hydrogen, sometimes referred to as white hydrogen, is a type of gas that exists naturally in the earth, it is rarely taken into consideration as a potential source of clean energy.
The fossil fuel industry is pushing hydrogen in all forms as a low-carbon substitute for a variety of fossil fuel applications. from heating buildings to supplying energy to heavy machinery and automobiles. Many hydrogen initiatives, in actuality, will just force us to keep using fossil fuels and make more investments in its infrastructure.
Though our knowledge of white hydrogen is limited, some believe it has the potential to change the world. The reason is that although H2 is widely available, there are very few sources from which it may be harvested.
That is, at least, the common understanding. However, more recently, sources of natural hydrogen are being discovered in various parts of the world. Determining if it can be practically extracted in order to ship and store it for use as a clean energy source will be crucial.
What is white hydrogen?
White hydrogen is referred to naturally occurring hydrogen. Although several initiatives have previously been put up to manufacture natural hydrogen in industrial amounts, natural hydrogen is still a little-known source of energy. It can produce carbon-neutral hydrogen at the lowest cost and on par with fossil fuels.
Natural hydrogen is the most common element but dissipates quickly and rises through Earth’s atmosphere.
White hydrogen is also highly reactive. In actuality, fossil fuels contain it coupled with carbon. Because it disappears swiftly once it comes into contact with the air, it is therefore regarded as being extremely rare in its pure, gaseous state. Among other reasons, this is the main reason why scientists usually search for alternative sources of H2 when trying to collect it for fuel.
That said, as rare as natural hydrogen seems to be, it isn’t quite as rare as once believed. Now that scientists and geologists are paying close attention, sources of white H2 are being found in a rising number of places around the world.
The biggest obstacle to producing hydrogen, especially from renewable resources, is lowering the cost of hydrogen. Hydrogen must be more affordable per mile for transportation fuel cells than traditional fuels and technology. This means that the cost of hydrogen — regardless of the production technology — must be less than $4/ gallon gasoline equivalent. Research is concentrated on extending the longevity and efficiency of hydrogen production technologies, as well as lowering the cost of operations, maintenance, and capital equipment in order to lower the overall cost of hydrogen.
Source: Hydrogen Fuel News
Hydrogen itself is a colorless gas. But as there are different sources and processes used to make hydrogen, there are different hydrogen colors codes to identify them. Check out about to learn more the different hydrogen color codes.