Unlimited Hydrogen Source?
Mamadou Ngulo Konaré is a Mali citizen who interviewed by Science scientist Eric Hand [1]. He talks about the well diggers which opened a borehole for water but becomes empty. However, Mamadou and villagers discovered a wind coming out from the borehole. When one driller peeked out to the borehole with a cigarette, the wind exploded on his face. In article [1], Mamadou talks about blue sparkling water color for fire. These all lead only one element. Hydrogen. But isn’t it strange that hydrogen comes out from a borehole? If there is a source of hydrogen deep down why we do not know that?
Hydrogen caused from the reaction between water and iron minerals. Equation as follows;
H2O+ Iron Minerals -> H2 + Iron Oxides (On high pressure and temperature)
Due to high reactivity of the oxygen, reacts with Iron minerals on high temperature and pressure. Due to low density of hydrogen, hydrogen escapes to surface from cracks, iron oxides lay deep down below.
“Hydrogen is the smallest molecule of all: It can leak through minerals and even metals [1].”
Why we did not know there is hydrogen below? Short answer would be, we did not look for it. Long answer, when oil companies, well loggers catalog their findings, there is no measurement for the hydrogens. Oil companies, firstly do their satellite imagery and investigation in order to find crude oil. They are not trying to find hydrogen wells. Oil companies only look for oil in known reserves, it is less likely they encountered hydrogen.
Scientist with submersibles also confirmed this observation. Hydrogen seeps from the Earth. Scientist dived to volcanic Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where tectonic plates are tugged apart and mantle rocks rise up to create fresh slabs of ocean crust [1]. There, scientists measured high amounts of hydrogen.
However, this news may be inspiring, hydrogen below is not renewable. In the article [1], it is stated that it is, however, hydrogen is created by the constant flow of water into underground reservoir. What will happen when flow of water gets cut? Hydrogen supply will be cut. Thus, we need to fix drought problem on Earth and after we can start extracting hydrogen form Earth.
References
[1] E. Hand, “HIDDEN HYDROGEN,” Science, vol. 379, no. 6633, pp. 630–636, 2023.
