Subterranean banded iron based injection fluid for hydrogen storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12428232-B1
Application number	US-202519222637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 29, 2025
Priority date	May 29, 2025
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A method of hydrogen storage is described. The method includes injecting hydrogen into a subterranean banded iron formation, including magnetite, hematite, and/or pyrite, where the hydrogen is mainly hydrogen (H 2 ) gas based on the total volume of the hydrogen. Further, the subterranean banded iron formation includes mainly magnetite, hematite, and/or pyrite based on a total weight of the subterranean banded iron formation, where the hydrogen is adsorbed on the magnetite, the hematite, and/or the pyrite. Further, the method includes injecting ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid into the subterranean banded iron formation to release the hydrogen from the magnetite, the hematite, and/or the pyrite.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of hydrogen storage, comprising:
injecting hydrogen into a subterranean banded iron formation comprising magnetite, hematite, and/or pyrite,
wherein the hydrogen is mainly hydrogen (H 2 ) gas based on a total volume of the hydrogen,
wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is mainly magnetite, hematite, and/or pyrite based on a total weight of the subterranean banded iron formation,
wherein the hydrogen is adsorbed on the magnetite, the hematite, and/or the pyrite,
injecting ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid into the subterranean banded iron formation to release the hydrogen from the magnetite, the hematite, and/or the pyrite.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
injecting a brine solution into the subterranean banded iron formation before injecting the hydrogen.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is at least 80% by weight magnetite and has a hydrogen index of 640 to 670 mg H 2 /g.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is at least 80% by weight hematite and has a hydrogen index of 670 to 690 mg H 2 /g.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is at least 80% by weight pyrite and has a hydrogen index of 520 to 540 mg H 2 /g.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the brine solution comprises sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulfate, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the brine solution has a total dissolved solids concentration of 57,000 to 58,000 ppm.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
injecting an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solution into the subterranean banded iron formation before injecting the hydrogen.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is at least 80% by weight hematite and has a hydrogen index of 740 to 770 mg H 2 /g.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is at least 80% by weight hematite and has a hydrogen index of 520 to 530 mg H 2 /g.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is at least 80% by weight magnetite and has a hydrogen index of 540 to 550 mg H 2 /g.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation comprises at least 80% by weight magnetite and has an average grain size of 50 to 55 μm.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation comprises at least 80% by weight hematite and has an average grain size of 25 to 30 μm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation comprises at least 80% by weight pyrite and has an average grain size of 5 to 10 μm.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure of the hydrogen in the subterranean banded iron formation is 500 to 1500 psi.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation is at a temperature of 50 to 100° C. during the injecting.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation magnetite comprises 66 to 72 percent by weight (wt. %) iron(II, III) oxide, 25 to 30 wt. % silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), and 1 to 4 wt. % vermiculite ((Mg, Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ ) 3 [(Al, Si) 4 O 10 ](OH) 2 ·4H 2 O) based on a total weight of the magnetite.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation hematite comprises at least 99 wt. % iron(III) oxide based on a total weight of the hematite.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation pyrite comprises 80 to 85 wt. % iron sulfide (FeS 2 ) and 15 to 20 wt. % SiO 2 based on a total weight of the pyrite.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean banded iron formation comprises at least 80% by weight hematite and a binding energy of the hydrogen to the hematite is −13 to −11 kcal/mol.

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Mohammed Isah
• Al Shehri Dhafer Abdullah
• MAHMOUD Mohamed

Classifications

• C01B3/001

  characterised by the uptaking media; Treatment thereof · CPC title

• C01B3/0084 Primary

  Solid storage media characterised by their shape, e.g. porous compacts or hollow particles · CPC title

• Y02E60/32

  Hydrogen storage · CPC title

• B65G5/00 Primary

  Storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth · CPC title