(Radio Iowa) – If hydrogen becomes a viable alternative to fossil fuels, Iowa may be in a position to benefit. Ryan Clark is associate state geologist with the Iowa Geological Survey. He says recent research has shown there are certain types of rocks that naturally generate hydrogen gas.
Clark says about half a dozen companies have contacted the Iowa Geological Survey for information about what may be underground.
That can make the exploration phase quite expensive. Hydrogen is an ingredient for fertilizer and Clark says that appears to be the near term market for hydrogen gas extracted from Iowa.
Just like oil and natural gas extraction, it’s estimated companies will have to drill up to three thousand feet to get to hydrogen that’s sitting underground. Clark says some lab experiments suggest injecting water into certain types of underground rocks could also generate hydrogen.
A company called Koloma has drilled exploratory wells in Webster County. Experts believe underground reservoirs of hydrogen may be found in a “mid-continent” area that stretches along the Great Lakes and through Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and into northern Kansas. Fossil fuels are currently used to make the hydrogen used today to refine oil, produce fertilizer, treat steel and make methanol, which is a major ingredient in plastic.
