He hydrogen has gained great popularity in recent years as a result of the search for new forms of sustainable energy. This is how the appearance of hydrogen first converted into a solid first became publicly known. Now the landing of a new color of H more valuable than gold, but buried. This resource is becoming one of the most important decarbonization options today.
It is one of the simplest and most common chemical elements, although it cannot be obtained directly from nature because it occurs in combination with other elements. For this reason, it must be processed to be used as fuel. That is, it must be separate hydrogen of other elements, splitting water (H2O) or methane (CH4) molecules. Once the fuel is obtained, the H releases energy without emitting polluting gases.
It can also be used as a battery to store energy and is easy to transport. Depending on how H is produced, it can be more or less clean. Because we need to separate H from other elements, it requires the application of significant amounts of energy to produce it and, depending on the process, the resulting H can result in a different ecological footprint and talk about colors.
Orange hydrogen: the dirtiest, but valuable
He orange hydrogen acquires this name for a process developed by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Some geological formations produce H naturally through oxidation-reduction between the iron in their minerals and water. Iron takes on a special value. It makes up about 5% of the Earth’s crust and could be transformed into an impressive manufacturing factory. hydrogen.
A team of researchers consisting of CNRS-INSU scientists has developed a technique called “orange hydrogen”. The aim is to accelerate natural generation to benefit from this resource in the energy transition. This is called H (orange) because of the color of the iron oxides generated. It mixes the production of hydrogen with CO2 capture.
The advantage is that the targeted geological formations can also be used as a reservoir to capture CO2. When they come into contact with water enriched with carbon dioxide, a second chemical reaction occurs that accelerates the carbonates (solid CO2). In this way, the contribution to the greenhouse effect and global warming is avoided.
The exploitation of orange hydrogen It is based on injection and extraction wells, similar to geothermal power plants. The water, previously loaded with CO2, is injected into the target rock formation through a well. The water is then filtered into the rock, reacting to leave behind CO2, enriched with H and recovered through extraction wells.
Orange hydrogen: the most mysterious color of H
The technique of orange hydrogen has produced good results in a rock core several centimeters thick, but now needs to be scaled up. Scientists’ calculations show that there are millions of years beneath our feet hydrogen.
Humanity needs new fuels (such as hydrogen)
Humanity has long turned to fossil fuels to meet its needs. In fact, they have worked so well that today we are witnessing major technological advances thanks to their use. However, the price to pay for its use is too high. Climate change and global warming continue to progress, putting planet Earth in a complicated situation.
In the search for new forms of energy supply, various companies and governments place special emphasis on this hydrogen, which many call ‘fuel of the future’. If you want to learn more about the types of H, don’t miss our article on the colors of hydrogen.