Exciting developments are underway in the search for “natural” hydrogen, also known as “white” hydrogen. pv magazine recently had the opportunity to speak with Adam Bumby, associate professor of structural geology at the University of Pretoria, to learn more about the HyAfrica project and the geological strata and structures that are most suitable for hydrogen storage.
December 19, 2023 Sergio Matalucci
The next three years will be crucial in uncovering the potential of “natural” or “white” hydrogen resources. Research projects in Africa, North America, and Europe are collaborating to share information and data, with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of these promising resources.
The HyAfrica project in South Africa is making strides in the small-scale exploitation of local resources. Led by Prof. Adam Bumby, the project is currently in the process of identifying potential source sites and will then move on to quantifying estimated resources.
“There is no doubt that natural hydrogen forms through renewable natural geological processes beneath the Earth’s surface,” he told pv magazine. “However, the scale of this production is still undetermined. To date, the only successful exploitation of natural hydrogen is from a single hydrogen-bearing borehole in Mali, which runs a 30kW generator.”
Bumby emphasized that there has been little effort invested in the search for natural hydrogen until recent years. However, with ongoing research activities, this landscape could soon change.
“Our goal is to publish our findings in scientific journals and university dissertations, making the data publicly available in the coming years,” he said.
The project is part of the LEAP-RE (Long-Term Joint European Union-African Union Research and Innovation Partnership on Renewable Energy) partnership, with funding secured until September 2025. Findings from the project are expected to be released by this time.
Bumby highlighted that the work is being carried out by the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo, with funding from SANEDI – South African National Energy Development Institute. Other consortium members include the University of Evora (Portugal), the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (Germany), University of Mohammed Premier (Morocco), University of Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique), University of Lome (Togo), and the Fraunhofer Institute (Germany).
“Similar hydrogen exploration activities are also taking place in Morocco, Mozambique, and Togo, undertaken by our consortium partners,” said Bumby.
Current exploration activities in South Africa are still in the early stages of development. Recent samples taken in Mpumalanga currently fall under the “natural” or “white” hydrogen category. Follow-up field trips and isotopic comparisons of all the hydrogen samples collected will provide a clearer understanding of the geological controls responsible for generating hydrogen in Mpumalanga, said the project members.
“We have measured numerous elevated levels of hydrogen throughout parts of Mpumalanga, but have not yet determined the geological source of that hydrogen, modeled the potential volume of hydrogen that might be produced, or researched how it could be exploited,” said Bumby.
For more information on this exciting development, read the full article here.
