Olivine

Natural H₂ storage mineral

Fe-rich olivine confines hydrogen to meter-scale migration over geological timescales, outperforming forsterite as a natural storage medium.

Yu, Huang · Liu, Lei · Hu, Le · Liu, Hong

Gas Science and Engineering 2025

Specifications

Complete extraction temperature

{'zh': '190', 'en': '190'} °C

Initial H₂ release temperature

{'zh': '135', 'en': '135'} °C

Advantages

Retains hydrogen

Over geological timescales, H₂ migrates only meters in olivine, effectively confining hydrogen within the mineral.

Fe-rich is better

Fayalite exhibits far shorter diffusion distances than forsterite, indicating superior storage capacity in Fe-rich olivine.

Low-temperature release

Complete H₂ extraction from 100 μm fayalite crystals requires heating to 190 °C, lower than forsterite's 162 °C (for complete extraction).

Applications

• Underground H₂ storage media：Provides a natural mineral medium that traps hydrogen for long durations, reducing leakage risk.
• Hydrogen exploration：Use olivine storage parameters to identify zones of natural hydrogen enrichment.
• Geologic hydrogen reservoirs：Fayalite is a high-quality reservoir mineral, serving as a benchmark for natural hydrogen reservoir evaluation.