How a white hydrogen discovery could help global emissions efforts
Scientists in northern France earlier this summer discovered what could be a massive deposit of the cheapest and greenest type of hydrogen.
With many Canadians focused on climate change after a year of floods, fires and droughts, Canadian researchers said the find could represent a big step towards global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“If we find enough hydrogen, this could solve a lot of our global warming problems,” said Queen’s University professor Philip Jessop, who holds the Canada Research Chair in green chemistry.
“The importance of this discovery is what it could mean for everybody.”
In July, Université de Lorraine scientists Philippe de Donato and Jacques Pironon discovered “white” hydrogen while searching for methane in northern-eastern France.
Hydrogen could be a key component of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and halting climate change because it could be used as a fuel source to generate electricity or potentially replace gasoline.
Colours denote where hydrogen comes from and what amount of greenhouse gases are released while producing it. White hydrogen is pure or nearly pure hydrogen, Jessop said.
“And that’s wonderful because fossil fuels like methane, coal, oil, when we burn them, we’re burning the carbon in them to make carbon dioxide, and that causes global warming.”
Other forms of hydrogen — green, blue or grey, for example — need to be separated from different compounds, which can be expensive and can ironically create greenhouse gases.
Pironon and de Donato weren’t available for interviews ahead of deadline, but in a statement from France’s national research agency, de Donato said “this discovery could be a big step forward in the transition towards clean, climate-friendly energy
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