Hydrogen

We're making natural hydrogen the next energy revolution.

Unearthing the future of energy

Hydrogen holds 3x more energy per kilogram than gasoline and burns without releasing CO_2.This makes it the ultimate clean fuel. However, cost is the main barrier to making it the fuel of the future.

The solution is just beneath our feet

Each year, the Earth produces millions of tons of hydrogen through a reaction between water and iron-rich rocks known as "serpentinization". This abundant, untapped resource lies just beneath our feet.

Locating this resource is the key

The cheapest way to extract natural hydrogen is by finding vast, producible reservoirs near the surface. At Mantle8, we develop technologies to find and quantify these hidden reservoirs and make natural hydrogen a reality.

The Ingredients

Mantle rock: We start with ultramafic rocks from the Earth’s mantle. These rocks are rich in ferrous iron-bearing minerals.

Water: This water comes from deep aquifers and travels through natural cracks below the Earth’s surface to reach the mantle rock.

The Reaction

When water meets these iron-rich mantle rocks, a chemical reaction called serpentinization occurs.
In simple terms, the rock hydrates causing the iron minerals to oxidize. This process transforms the original minerals into a new group of minerals called serpentine.

Hydrogen Production

The hydration of the rock also releases molecular hydrogen.

Think of it like this: the water molecules are split apart during the reaction, and some of the hydrogen atoms combine to form molecular hydrogen. This process causes the rocks to change. This change can be used to image the ongoing reaction.

Where Does the Hydrogen Go

The released hydrogen is either trapped within the serpentine rocks or released in water. Given it’s so light, most of it migrates through permeable layers of rock and then either gets consumed, trapped, or reaches the surface where it can be measured.
Here at Mantle8, we specifically look for instances where the hydrogen can be trapped and form an accumulation.

Hydrogen made by nature  
How does serpentinization work?

Natural hydrogen

Your questions answered

How does natural hydrogen compare to green hydrogen in terms of advantages?

Green hydrogen relies on energy-intensive electrolysis which requires large amounts of renewable energy. Natural hydrogen is a resource naturally present in the Earth’s crust so fewer steps are needed to produce it. It could help complement green hydrogen in our energy mix by offering a low-cost alternative as the green hydrogen industry scales.

What are the potential uses of natural hydrogen?

Natural hydrogen is essential for sectors that are hard to decarbonize through electrification such as some heavy industries (steel, mining, cement), long-distance transportation, and long-term energy storage.

How much natural hydrogen is there?

We estimate that there is more than 100Mt of natural hydrogen in Europe alone. Some estimates put global resources at more than 5 trillion tonnes. If only a fraction of this is recoverable, it would supply the projected hydrogen needed to reach net-zero carbon emissions for ~200 years.

Why are we aiming for 10Mt?

It is our estimation of what could be drilled and demonstrated by the end of the decade. It is derived from applying our technology to our exploration portfolio.

Where are natural hydrogen reservoirs typically located?

Hydrogen is naturally produced all over the Earth. We have not yet explored the whole planet, but we think Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa are especially interesting due to the clear occurrence of the necessary conditions.

What are the production costs?

Our estimates suggest we can make €0.80/kg hydrogen a reality but recent studies suggest a price lower than €0.50/kg could be possible.

Is it safe to drill underground reservoirs of hydrogen?

Safety standards for drilling are extremely strict. Drilling and leak-prevention technologies used to extract natural hydrogen are very similar to those used for decades to extract natural gas or helium.

What does bottom-up exploration mean?

We use a geology-first approach to natural hydrogen exploration. While most competitors use trial-and-error surface indications to find hydrogen reservoirs, our technology combines geology, geophysics and geochemistry data to detect and evaluate the best locations for sourcing hydrogen, leading to a more accurate and scalable exploration.

Does our exploration damage the local environment?

Our proprietary technologies have been designed to minimize the cost, time and environmental impact of the exploration process. Unlike conventional techniques that use seismic vibrators or explosives, we only use methods that have a very limited footprint and environmental impact.