Potential for microbial hydrogen consumption during underground hydrogen storage in a salt cavern newly mined with pond water

Kurzfassung

Hydrogen (H2) is a key element for the future energy supply and adequate storage solutions for H2 will be required in the future. Underground H2 storage in salt caverns is a preferable option due to the ability to store large quantities of H2 for a long time. New storage space can be created by solution mining of new caverns. However, solution mining of caverns in salt rock presents an anthropogenic impact on microbial biogeochemical processes. The use of non-sterile water for solution mining might introduce microorganisms foreign to the salt rock habitat into a newly created environment, while the storage of H2 could simultaneously provide an energy source that many microorganisms can utilise. The work presented here addresses the effects of solution mining a new cavern with pond water on the development of the microbial community in the cavern and possible impacts on the stored H2 quality and quantity due to microbial activity during the initial H2 storage phase.