2024-02-19 00:23:21
Scientists have probably discovered one of the largest deposits of the so-called white or natural hydrogen in the world, BTA reported, citing AFP. The deposit is located in the coal seams near the Moselle River, Northeastern France.
Natural hydrogen can help decarbonize manufacturing and transportation.
The scientific discovery is also a hope for Lorraine’s mining basin after a 150-year history of exploitation that contributed to growth and subsequent decline.
The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) has been developing the Regalor research project for four years. With a probe lowered to a depth of over 1,000 m in search of methane, significant amounts of natural hydrogen have been discovered.
If the concentration of the naturally occurring gas were the same throughout the Lorraine coal basin, it would mean a total of 60 million tons of white hydrogen — the world’s largest reserve, geologist Jacques Pironon, director of exploration, said at a press conference in early February. However, more drilling is needed to clarify this, he added.
Natural hydrogen is formed in the subsoil through chemical reactions, for example between water and minerals.