A joint industry partnership has formed the Gold Hydrogen Program to advance the biological production of clean, renewable hydrogen in subsurface environments. The initiative will advance a process to ferment the unrecovered oil in depleted reservoirs and caverns.

Gold hydrogen exists underground in nature and is thus carbon free as it is not subject to any manufacturing process as compared to other fuels on the hydrogen color spectrum: gray (produced from coal or natural gas); blue (coal or natural gas with carbon capture); and green (derived from water electrolysis). A pilot trial will test an assemblage of natural and genetically engineered microbes that require supplemental nutrients, such as those found in depleted oil fields, in petroleum reservoirs marked for abandonment. Hydrogen will be produced and stored in the subsurface environment, thus extending reservoir life.

The bioproduction technology offers potential to revitalize and remediate thousands of depleted, abandoned oil and gas reservoirs around the U.S. by merging existing infrastructure with cutting-edge microbiology to scale clean energy solutions quickly. The process is also reportedly more economical and energy efficient relative to conventional hydrogen production approaches.

Gold hydrogen is a source of carbon-neutral hydrogen produced from depleted oil reservoirs that are ready for plug and abandonment. Source: Cemvita Factory

Project collaborators include Cemvita Factory, a developer of low-carbon microbial solutions for energy and mining resource extraction; global engineering firm EXP; Chart Industries, equipment supplier for energy and industrial gas markets; and nonprofit organization The Center for Houston’s Future.