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Some 1.1 billion years ago, the North American continent nearly split in two, leaving behind a 1,200-mile swath of volcanic rocks known as the Midcontinent Rift that may be able to produce enough natural hydrogen to yield vast amounts of clean energy.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers are studying the rift — which runs from beneath Lake Superior through parts of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas — to determine how best to access that hydrogen.

Hydrogen is potentially a key player in the effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. It produces no carbon emissions and, unlike oil and gas that can take millions of years to generate from organic deposits, it is constantly renewing underground when water interacts with the volcanic rock. 

But there is much to learn.

“Our understanding of processes governing the production, migration and accumulation of evasive natural hydrogen in the continental deep subsurface is still in its infancy,” said Seunghee Kim, Charles J. Vranek Associate Professor of civil engineering and one of the project’s principal investigators.

To test the viability of hydrogen production in the rift, a test well was drilled in Nebraska five years ago. So far, the data is promising. Scientists believe it is possible the geomechanical and biogeochemical conditions in the rift limit the loss and consumption of this naturally generated hydrogen, which could leave trapped hydrogen “at an economically meaningful scale in the mid-continent subsurface.”

The Midcontinent Rift is estimated to be 3,000 to 5,000 feet underground.

“It could be deep enough to be stored but shallow enough that we can access it,” said Karrie Weber, professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences and biological sciences and another project investigator. “The geology is in our favor.”The U.S. Geological Survey estimates between tens of millions and tens of billions of megatons of hydrogen are in Earth’s crust. But much of that would be inaccessible to humans because it is either too deep or too far offshore, or present in amounts too small to exploit. That is what makes sites like the Midcontinent Rift so important. Other subsurface rifts in the world — located in France, Germany, Russia and the African continent — could also produce hydrogen, Kim said.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates there might be enough accessible natural hydrogen under the Earth’s surface to meet global energy needs for thousands of years.

Kim said the Nebraska team will explore several questions surrounding hydrogen flow and seepage from the subsurface to the surface; the feasibility of storing hydrogen naturally or in engineered storage systems; how hydrogen reacts with existing fluids and rock minerals in the subsurface; and how fast and how much hydrogen could be consumed by microorganisms.

Kim is approaching the questions from a civil engineering perspective, while Weber and another co-principal investigator, Hyun-Seob Song, are exploring the biogeochemical and microbiology implications. 

“This has not been well-studied so far,” said Song, associate professor of biological systems engineering and food science and technology. “We aim to predict the microbiomes’ behavior at this subsurface level.”

Song will develop computational modeling tools to integrate and assess that data that Weber provides.

The project is funded by a five-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE) initiative. It is one of 19 projects funded this year.

The research builds on previous work funded by the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research.

Weber said the university’s role in this research is another instance of the state’s potential leadership in what is called “the hydrogen economy,” which refers to the role hydrogen could have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and serving as a clean energy source.

Third-generation Husker. Father to a current student and a recent graduate. President of the largest alumni chapter in the country. Recipient of the Nebraska Alumni Assocation’s Distinguished Service Award.

Safe to say living in Colorado hasn’t kept Dan Spencer from embracing his Nebraska roots.

“There are so many Nebraskans here that it feels like Nebraska,” he said with a smile.

Spencer’s involvement with Coloradans for Nebraska began as a simple way to stay connected after establishing his dental practice near Denver 25 years ago. It quickly grew into a larger calling.

“I was always involved, but then I got volunteered to join the board, and before I knew it, I was president,” he said.

Today, the group boasts 3,500 members and a mission that is close to Spencer’s heart — raising scholarship funds for Colorado high school students who choose to attend the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

“We give out eight scholarships each year,” Spencer said. “I work a lot with the recruiters to get the message out, and I’m always on the lookout for kids for whom I feel Nebraska would be a great fit.”

To help make the case to Colorado students, Spencer and his fellow Coloradans for Nebraska alumni take initiative to help get prospective students to campus for a visit.

“This year, we have about 80 kids coming from Colorado, and I personally helped get seven to campus for a visit,” he said. “Once you get kids on campus, Nebraska pretty much sells itself.”

For Spencer, building a strong alumni base that powers the next generation of Huskers all comes down to relationships.

“Ninety percent of my job is about relationships — how I treat my patients and interact with people. That’s something I learned growing up in Nebraska,” he said. “Being good to people goes a long way, no matter your profession. Good relationships lead to a happy life.”

Keeping a strong connection to Nebraska and the powerful relationships that have endured the distance is a huge part of the happy life Spencer has built. Unsurprisingly, he credited Nebraska for much of it.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without Nebraska — it shaped me into who I am.”