Study: Clean Hydrogen Source Could Power Earth for at Least 170,000 Years

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A recent study published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment has revealed that naturally occurring hydrogen generated by geological processes over billions of years could become a substantial clean energy source. This amount is deemed sufficient to meet humanity's projected needs for at least 170 thousand years.

Researchers from the University of Oxford, Durham University, and the University of Toronto found that the Earth's continental crust has been producing a large amount of hydrogen over the past billion years. Although most of this hydrogen has been consumed by microbes or leaked into the atmosphere, it is believed that what remains could form recoverable accumulations.

One of the study's authors, Jon Gluyas from Durham University, stated that they have successfully developed exploration strategies for helium, and similar "first principles" approach that could also be applied to hydrogen.

Hydrogen in the Earth's crust is formed through various reactions, including serpentinization—the reaction between water and iron-rich minerals that produces molecular hydrogen. Another pathway is radiolysis, where decaying uranium breaks down water molecules, as well as the maturation of organic shale, which produces hydrogen along with hydrocarbons.

Once formed, hydrogen will migrate through fractures and porous rocks until it is trapped by geological seals. However, due to its small molecular size, maintaining the containment of hydrogen over geological time requires very tight seals. Additionally, the presence of microorganisms also poses a threat to the sustainability of these accumulations.

“We know, for example, that underground microbes readily feast on hydrogen,” said Barbara Sherwood Lollar from the University of Toronto, as quoted from Earth.com, on Thursday, May 22, 2025. “Avoiding environments that bring them into contact with the hydrogen is important in preserving hydrogen in economic accumulations.”

This study also refutes the assumption that hydrogen from the Earth's mantle is the primary source. Analysis indicates that the majority of hydrogen accumulations originate from crustal rocks, not from internal sources such as mantle plumes.

Various crustal locations are considered potential sites for storing hydrogen, including ancient cratonic shields, young rift basins, iron-rich volcanic belts, and faulted sedimentary basins. Some systems are known to have been producing hydrogen over the past few million years, while others are hundreds of millions of years old.

Several instances of accidental hydrogen discovery have been recorded, such as in a water well in Bourakébougou, Mali, which in 2012 emitted gas containing 98 percent hydrogen. Similar cases have occurred in Kansas, South Australia, and the Pyrenees region.

Chris Ballentine from the University of Oxford, who led this study, explained the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in hydrogen exploration, including geophysics, geochemistry, microbiology, and reservoir engineering. 

“Combining the ingredients to find accumulated hydrogen in any of these settings can be likened to cooking a soufflé—get any one of the ingredients, amounts, timing, or temperature wrong and you will be disappointed.”

“One successful exploration recipe that is repeatable will unlock a commercially competitive, low-carbon hydrogen source that would significantly contribute to the energy transition—we have the right experience to combine these ingredients and find that recipe," the author said.

As a follow-up, the research team has formed Snowfox Discovery Ltd. to identify socially significant hydrogen fields. Their initial priorities include mapping iron-rich rock belts in contact with shallow groundwater, studying the rate of hydrogen consumption by microbes, and testing the strength of gas trapping layers.

If successful, natural hydrogen could become a low-carbon energy source bridging blue and green hydrogen during the energy transition, while still considering environmental risks.

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