- A team of researchers recently discovered a huge hydrogen reservoir in an Albanian mine.
- The hydrogen concentration was so high that it caused an explosion that killed the miner.
- This reservoir could be a potential source of clean hydrogen energy.
Hydrogen is becoming a powerful alternative to fossil fuels This is because when burned, no carbon is released into the environment. The downside is that power generation has long been an energy-intensive operation that emits greenhouse gases that warm the planet.
But recently, a team of researchers discovered a huge hydrogen reservoir buried in an Albanian mine. clean hydrogen energy.
The reservoir, located in the Burkizekromite mine just 40 miles east of Albania's capital Tirana, emits at least 200 tons of H2 gas annually, the researchers said in their paper. A report published in Science last month. They reported that this was one of the largest her H2 flows ever recorded.
“What we observed deep inside the mine is another dimension,” says study lead author Laurent Trouche. Said live science. The reservoir will “transform a drainage pool within a mine shaft into a breathtaking 30 square meter pool” [323 square feet] A jacuzzi filled with bubbling almost pure hydrogen. ”
However, hydrogen is also a highly flammable gas, and high concentrations in the mine have caused three explosions since 2011, killing four miners and injuring several others, according to Live Science. It is being
Researchers believe that if hydrogen in mines can be harnessed safely, it could become an important energy source. And while large natural hydrogen reservoirs similar to this one are rare, sites with similar geology could be good targets for finding other sources, the researchers noted. I am.
The discovery came just months after President Joe Biden announced: $7 billion effort to invest in seven hydrogen hubs In the United States, it is used in areas such as the Gulf Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Appalachia. One goal of the initiative is for the hub to produce “more than 3 million tons of clean hydrogen per year,” about one-third of his 2030 U.S. clean hydrogen production goal.
