Although hydrogen is issued as a emission -free source of energy, greenhouse gases are formed. British scientists have now described where humanity could take a huge amount of gas.
Hydrogen is the most widespread element in the universe, it forms most of the matter in space. And yet humanity has a shortage of it, although it urgently needs it for its modern existence. This gas is used to produce fertilizers without which half of the people in the world would have nothing to eat. In addition, it has a huge potential in renewable energy, which is crucial in the resistance of the company to climate change.
Today, hydrogen is mainly made of hydrocarbons, which, on the other hand, accelerates the warming, because the waste gases from this process account for 2.4 percent of the global emissions of the main greenhouse gas of carbon dioxide. At the same time, humanity needs hydrogen: at the beginning of the twenties of the twenty -first century, the consumption of about 90 million tons was, but in the middle of the century it should rise to more than 540 million tonnes.
Scientists can already produce hydrogen and renewable sources, but it is still too expensive and economically disadvantageous. But British geologists have now offered the world the third way.
Ground like airship
Over the last billion years, geological processes have been created in the continental earth cortex, which would supply humanity with energy for at least 170,000 years. A significant part of this gas is inaccessible to humanity, even the smaller available stocks, according to Oxford scientists, could provide a quality energy source for hundreds and possibly thousands of years – for example, until they manage to control energy from the merger.
Until now, according to the authors of the study, these supplies of available hydrogen have been underestimated. But this research shows our planet as an exaggeration, an airship filled with a hydrogen that just needs to be taken. However, Oxford researchers, in cooperation with other experts, have developed a helium search strategy, which they also applied to hydrogen.
According to them, the whole problem of using these supplies is extremely complex. For example, scientists encountered a problem with microbes. The co -author of the study, Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar at the University of Toronto said: “For example, we know that underground microbes easily consume hydrogen. To maintain it in economic accumulations, it is important to avoid the environment that brings them into contact with hydrogen.”
They also warn of some hydrogen sources that they believe are overvalued. It is especially the one from the Earth’s cloak. According to the authors, it is much better to try to get it from the Earth’s crust. Some of these natural magazines may be relatively young from a geological point of view and only “recently”. This means millions of years in the horizon. But what is important: they occur almost all over the world.
Recipe for success
The supervisor of the study, Professor Chris Ballentine of Oxford, compared the search for a suitable and usable hydrogen to prepare the sufflé, ie culinary specialties, which is considerably demanding in preparation. “If you do wrongly choose any of the ingredients, quantity, timing or temperature, you will be disappointed.”
But they believe that when this suffal is successful once, it should guarantee that in other cases the process will be easier. So without metaphors: it is sufficient that it is possible to successfully find and start to minimize one site by Oxford methods, and then the process could be simplified and commonly used.
The potential of the natural geological hydrogen and methods that the British have now described is also promising according to the commercial sphere. A start-up has already been created that would like to invest in this industry.
