The world is paying special attention to white hydrogen because it is the cleanest and most economical energy vector from the wide range of hydrogen atoms that exist underground. Unlike the other types of hydrogen, white is found free in natural processes on the Earth’s surface, meaning that it does not rely on polluting and expensive industrial processes for its extraction.
White hydrogen versus other types
The United States Geological Survey has stated that there are approximately 5 billion tons of white hydrogen, also called natural, in the world. To meet global demand, 500 million tons per yearimplying that the existing reserve could supply energy for thousands of years according to some sources.
Hydrogen has several types obtained from other natural elements with which it is combined and from the extraction process to which it is subjected: black, gray, pink, turquoise, green, blue and yellow.
Some sources are cleaner than others. That is why hydrogen is classified by color. Roughly speaking, black and gray are extracted from fossil fuels (gas, coal, oil)while the yellow due to electrolysisthe production of which takes place through the combustion of fossil fuels. And by extension, they are more polluting.
Instead, the blue comes from natural gasbut through a process that does not release CO2 into the atmosphere; pink, turquoise and green are obtained from water by electrolysis generated by clean renewable sources, such as nuclear, solar, wind or hydroelectric energy.
Now it has been found white hydrogen, which occurs freely in naturethat is, it is not combined with any other element, and can be obtained by the following natural processes: serpentinization in the rocks of the oceanic crust, dissolution of rocks, natural electrolysis and degassing.
White hydrogen in the Pyrenees
White hydrogen is therefore cleaner than the blue, pink, turquoise and green group, and also cheaper given the extraction process. High concentrations of this hydrogen are believed to occur in the Pyrenees, on the French side and on the Spanish side.
The company Helios Aragón believes that, due to the fractures formed in the foothills during the movement of the Iberian plate 65 million years ago, there is a deposit of over a million tons of white hydrogen. For this reason, it has extraction plans for 2029.
His project is based on a 1963 exploration trip that found natural hydrogen in Monzón (Huesca). The National Petroleum Company of Aragon was searching for crude oil when it found white hydrogen at a depth of 3.7 kilometers.
Helios is currently waiting for the permit to implement its project. It plans to conduct a deep survey between the A-22 highway and the Zaragoza-Lleida railway line, on the alluvial river of the Cinca River. 900 million euros are being invested and if the drilling starts, the Monzón well would be the first to produce natural hydrogen in Europe.
Benefits of white hydrogen
White hydrogen is in the spotlight worldwide because it is a good option for developing renewable energy sources. It has the advantage of It is constantly regenerating, it does not depend on industrial processes for its production, nor does it require complex structures to obtain it. because it can be achieved without going through a transformation process.
In terms of cost recovery and investments, its price is estimated at 0.5 euros per kilogram, compared to the 5 euros per kilogram of green hydrogen that the world is pointing to. White hydrogen is therefore not only clean, but also economical.