US researchers eye hydrogen potential beneath Lake Superior

According to an article published in The Diary 24, a groundbreaking discovery beneath Lake Superior and surrounding areas has the potential to reshape the future of energy. 

Beneath Lake Superior and stretching far beyond, a vast source of energy potential is waiting to be tapped, and three scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are working to determine its viability as a renewable power source. The Midcontinental Rift, rich in natural hydrogen deposits, could provide the United States with a long-term, sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

A research team from UNL, led by Hyun-Seob Song, an associate professor of biological systems engineering and food science and technology; Karrie Weber, a professor of Earth, atmospheric, and biological sciences; and Seunghee Kim, an associate professor of civil engineering, is investigating the feasibility of extracting hydrogen from the Midcontinental Rift.

Formed over 1.1 billion years ago, the 1,200-mile-long Midcontinental Rift was created when North America nearly split apart. The rift, which runs beneath Lake Superior and stretches through parts of Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, contains natural hydrogen deposits that could be harnessed as a renewable energy source.

As the global shift towards reducing fossil fuel dependence grows, hydrogen is gaining traction as a clean energy alternative. One key reason for its appeal is the way it is naturally produced under the Earth's surface in the Midcontinental Rift. Unlike oil or natural gas, which take millions of years to form, hydrogen is continuously generated as water interacts with volcanic rocks. This process produces hydrogen gas, a zero-carbon emission fuel, which offers a significant opportunity for sustainable energy production.

Seunghee Kim, Charles J. Vranek Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a key researcher on the project, shared the team’s perspective:

“Our understanding of processes governing the production, migration, and accumulation of evasive natural hydrogen in the continental deep subsurface is still in its infancy.”

The research began five years ago with the drilling of an exploratory well in Nebraska, and the results have been promising. Scientists believe that favorable biochemical and geomechanical conditions in the Midcontinental Rift have allowed hydrogen gas to be trapped rather than lost or consumed, making the deposits "economically viable" due to their scale.

By Naila Huseynova