The colours of hydrogen, part 3: White

Does the colour palette for hydrogen need to be rewritten since last year? There is no longer just green, grey, turquoise or blue hydrogen. White is the latest colour.

In 2023, researchers discovered large deposits of natural hydrogen in France, in the Lorraine region.. They were actually looking for natural gas. and then detected a hydrogen content that increased with depth. At a depth of 1,100 metres, it was 15 percent. “It became clear to us that we had possibly found an undreamt-of deposit of white hydrogen,” geochemist Philippe de Donato from the University of Lorraine was quoted as saying on the specialist platform chemie.de in early August 2023.

A path that pays off

“If I could have it, I would use it right away, of course,” says Jülich hydrogen researcher Andreas Peschel, who is a professor and head of the Process and Plant Engineering for Chemical Hydrogen Storage department at the Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW). “If only…” is a phrase that makes it clear that there is almost always a long way between wishful thinking and reality. “A very long way. But it’s definitely worth it if we set out on the journey,” emphasises Andreas Peschel.

“If I had it, I would use it immediately, of course,” says Jülich hydrogen researcher Andreas Peschel, professor and head of the Process and Plant Engineering for Chemical Hydrogen Storage department at the Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW). “If only…” is a phrase that makes it clear that there is almost always a long way between wishful thinking and reality. “A very long way. But it’s definitely worth it if we set out on the journey,” emphasises Andreas Peschel.

“As things stand today, I assume that we will have to take action on climate change long before white hydrogen becomes available on the market in significant quantities. If that ever happens.”

Prof. Andreas Peschel, Director of the Department INW-4

Long considered a mythical creature like Nessie or the Yeti

The reason why white hydrogen has long been like Nessie or the Yeti – i.e. a mythical creature that has never been proven to exist – is quite simple. The oil and gas companies weren’t looking for it. They were after oil and natural gas. Optimists are already talking about a new kind of gold rush. Sceptics complain that the usable deposits discovered so far are far too small to make any difference.

“White hydrogen could potentially complement the hydrogen economy portfolio by 2050. However, it will not replace green or blue hydrogen. We should be open to different climate-friendly forms of hydrogen production,” says Andreas Peschel.

Because demand is rising. When the German government’s National Hydrogen Strategy was revised last year, annual demand in Germany stood at 55 terawatt hours (TWh) per year. The strategy is designed to reach up to 130 TWh by 2030 and more than 350 TWh by 2045. Natural resources could help to achieve this goal more easily. Ultimately, however, what matters is how much low-emission hydrogen is available, regardless of whether it is blue, green or white.

Memory is important

Green hydrogen is produced by electrolysis, using green electricity as the necessary energy source. The production of grey hydrogen, which is still the predominant type today but is to be phased out of the market step by step, releases climate-impacting carbon dioxide (CO₂). Blue hydrogen is like grey hydrogen, except that the CO₂ is captured and stored.

Every hydrogen fuel requires storage and transport technologies, which remain an important field of research. “As with many fossil fuels, the places where hydrogen is produced are not the places where it is needed. We therefore need technologies for storage and transport. This applies to all colours of hydrogen,” explains Andreas Peschel. These are the topics his team and he are researching at the INW. If it turns out in the coming years that there are many sources of white hydrogen and that these significantly increase availability, then it will be time for the INW to step up its efforts. After all, the faster the hydrogen economy with all its facets – production, extraction, storage, transport and consumption – is rolled out, the faster it will have an impact in the fight against global warming.

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