MUSCAT: Peridotite rock, currently the subject of a groundbreaking initiative to support carbon sequestration as part of Net Zero goals, is also being carefully studied for its ability to produce zero-carbon hydrogen – known as ‘Geologic Hydrogen’ – to help drive the global energy transition.
The Sultanate of Oman is home to one of the largest occurrences of peridotite, which forms part of the Semail Ophiolite – a massive ridge extending some 100,000 sq kilometres across north Oman and into neighbouring UAE. Once part of the oceanic crust, it was obducted on to the Arabian Peninsula due to tectonic forces around 95 million years ago.
Following an agreement signed with Ministry of Energy and Minerals in September, US geotechnical firm Eden GeoPower has embarked on a landmark bid to unlock the Geologic Hydrogen potential of peridotite rock in Oman.
Geologic Hydrogen is produced when water interacts with iron-rich rocks such as peridotite. By drilling and injecting water directly into such iron-rich rocks, the naturally occurring process of hydrogen production is stimulated. According to Eden, around 2 – 4 kg of hydrogen can be produced per cubic metre of peridotite rock through this process.
But to produce commercial quantities of Geologic Hydrogen through this process, Eden plans to deploy its patented Electrical Reservoir Stimulation (ERS) technology to crack rocks and increase their permeability. The technology, it says, has a far lower carbon footprint than conventional hydraulic fracturing.
Oman’s appeal as a potentially prolific source of Geologic Hydrogen piqued Eden’s interest when the company’s specialists stumbled upon pools of water with gas bubbling to the surface – a process known as natural seep.
Explaining the significance of the discovery, Eden’s Lead Geochemist Dr Alexis Templeton said: “The bubbles in the water are our way of seeing that there's gas escaping from underground. We trap the bubbles underwater so we can capture just the gas coming out from underground. By capturing the bubbles, we can see if there's hydrogen, nitrogen, or other gases we can see in our atmosphere. Hydrogen will react with the oxygen in the air and burn to make just water. So we use a lighter to see it pop and explode in a tiny little reactor. This is a unique place for Eden to use its special technology to unlock the energy resources that are available here,” she added in a recent post.
Later, during a field visit to Ibra, the team identified a suitable site to demonstrate the company’s ESR technology to enhance the permeability of the rocks – a process that allows higher injections and improves the economics of the project.
Dr Ammar Alali, Co-Founder and President, Eden GeoPower, stated: “(Eden) been able to utilize its unique technology to demonstrate the scale of stimulated Geological Hydrogen here in Oman. We're grateful for this collaboration between Eden and the Oman Ministry of Energy and Minerals. We hope this collaboration could help shape and catalyze the stimulated geological hydrogen sector for years to come.” Significantly, Geologic Hydrogen has the potential to make an important contribution to the growth of clean energy resources necessary to meet the global Net Zero target by 2050. Every 1 cubic kilometre of iron-rich rock can yield about 5 million tons of Geologic Hydrogen per year. But to unlock this prolific supply, permeability enhancement solutions will be imperative alongside a better understanding of how to accelerate the hydrogen generation process – goals that Eden hopes to achieve as part of its current project in Oman.
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