In the underground mining basin of the Folschviller well (Moselle), a titanic reserve of white hydrogen was unearthed. The largest ever discovered to date.
Four years ago, this basin was the subject of in-depth research carried out by the University of Lorraine, the CNRS and the company Française de l’Énergie (FDE). This drilling program was originally carried out to study the presence of methane in the Lorraine subsoils. The research project in question, Regalor (REssources GAzières de LORraines) was absolutely not intended to find underground hydrogen. This, in a context of increasing scarcity of fossil fuels, is considered in many respects to be the oil of tomorrow.
This White gold had already been discovered at Folschviller at the end of 2022, but only in small quantities and at a short distance from the surface (600 meters). Going deeper, a reserve of several hundred million tonnes was discovered by the teams a few weeks ago! Which is half of the world’s total hydrogen production, simply astounding.
A more than unexpected discovery
It is therefore at a depth of 3,000 meters that this gigantic deposit was captured using a probe of a very particular design. Laurent Favre, General Director of Plastic Omnium, explained on the microphone of BFM Business : “ white hydrogen is natural, native hydrogen. Unlike the green or gray hydrogen that we produce and which is the hydrogen used in large quantities today, white is somewhere on the planet and there is plenty of it available. It is usable as is, it may be the oil of tomorrow “.
30 years ago, such a discovery would probably have gone unnoticed. With current climate issues, it’s a completely different story. The interest in this gas as a substitute for oil is real and its potential applications are already being studied. Car batteries, or even civil aviation.
Hydrogen and its broad spectrum
Currently, hydrogen, when produced and not captured, emits approximately 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We distinguish, among these different forms:
- Blue hydrogen, produced with CO capture2.
- Gray hydrogen, produced using methane.
- Green hydrogen, generated by electrolysis of water. This is expensive and in limited quantity.
Hence the immense interest in white hydrogen Or Golden, which arises from the numerous interactions between groundwater and iron-rich minerals. Processes that are difficult to predict in which the perfect conditions must be met for this natural hydrogen to form and be able to be exploited.
Global outlook
Jacques Pironon works at the GéoRessources laboratory at the University of Lorraine. According to its estimates relayed by the BBC, the quantity of white hydrogen contained under the soil of Folschviller is estimated at 250 million tonnes! The deeper we go, the more hydrogen is present. Pironon explains: “ Underground iron minerals have the ability to separate oxygen from hydrogen in water molecules by absorbing it. In very deep geological layers, there is no oxygen at all. We then have a good chance of finding hydrogen.” However, this does not mean that everything will be usable, far from it.
Following a telephone exchange, Mr. Pironon told us about the particularities of this mining basin: “ it is a heterogeneous area, due to the very ancient tectonic movements that it has undergone. Testing the terrain laterally will allow us to evaluate this heterogeneity, while vertical tests will allow us to judge the profile of the basin and the variation in the quantity of hydrogen according to depth. “. For now, this is just an exploration phase. We will therefore have to wait for funding from the State and the region to allow real drilling up to 3,000 meters.
“ Quantity estimates are actual measurements calculated according to a specific index. These correspond to the average dissolution rate of hydrogen in the water of the Lorraine carboniferous basin at a depth of 1,250 meters, located at 17%. » adds Mr. Pironon.
Other numerous deposits exist on the planet, notably in the United States, Australia, Russia and Bourakébougou in Mali. However, this French deposit is much more important than those we already know. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates there are thousands or even billions of megatons of hydrogen to be discovered on Earth, although the majority is likely inaccessible. Geoffrey Ellis, geochemist for the USGS, expresses this reality perfectly: “c“This is the global scenario: most of these resources will remain out of reach, buried too deep, located too far offshore, or in quantities far too small for their extraction to be economically viable.”
Let us reserve the right to be proud of our scientists and of this fantastic discovery, which will certainly place France at the head of the future White Gold Rush. Ideally, Europe should continue its efforts and continue its investments in projects aimed at hydrogen. It currently remains the leading continent in the world, with 35% of global investments.
Sources: BBC, Reporterre
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