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Geologic Hydrogen: A Review of Resource Potential, Subsurface Dynamics, Exploration, Production, Transportation, and Research Opportunities
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Geologic Hydrogen: A Review of Resource Potential, Subsurface Dynamics, Exploration, Production, Transportation, and Research Opportunities

Shaowen Mao, Siqin Yu, Jianping Xu, Hang Chen, Wen Zhao, Martin Blunt, Qinjun Kang, Michael Robert Gross, Bailian Chen, Jolante Van Wijk, …
Energy & environmental science, Vol.18(23), pp.9991-10035
12/07/2025
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE02910D
url
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EE02910DView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

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Abstract

Hydrogen is a versatile resource with important roles in decarbonization, industrial manufacturing, and energy integration. However, current hydrogen production predominantly relies on fossil fuels, resulting in significant emissions and energy consumption. While low-carbon hydrogen production methods, such as steam methane reforming with carbon capture and renewable-powered electrolysis, are advancing, their high costs remain a barrier to large-scale deployment. Therefore, identifying alternative methods for producing low-cost, low-emission hydrogen is a pressing challenge. Recently, geologic hydrogen, which refers to hydrogen produced from geologic formations as a natural resource, has attracted growing attention as a potential source of sustainable, economically viable, and environmentally favorable hydrogen. This paper provides a comprehensive review of geologic hydrogen, covering its resource potential, origins, migration and trapping mechanisms, exploration techniques, production strategies, and pipeline transportation. It also identifies key knowledge gaps and proposes a roadmap for future research. The review indicates that geologic hydrogen appears to have vast resource potential and could benefit from adapting existing subsurface technologies and geophysical exploration techniques. However, major challenges remain, including uncertain hydrogen generation rates, limited understanding and control of serpentinization, costly transportation infrastructure, the lack of validated techno-economic analysis, and potential social and environmental issues. As the field is still in its early stages, progress will require interdisciplinary collaboration spanning geoscience, engineering, economics, environmental science, and policy and regulation.

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