BRGM and VEMA Hydrogen combine their R&D expertise through a research collaboration contract to strengthen the understanding of the production of stimulated geological hydrogen, called "orange hydrogen".

The BRGM supports the company VEMA Hydrogen through a CICO-type R&D contract to help structure the modeling of stimulated geological hydrogen, called "orange hydrogen".

Founded in 2024, VEMA Hydrogen aims to offer an innovative, competitive solution with reduced production costs, industrializable and low carbon footprint, capable of contributing to the decarbonization of industry and the development of a new energy sector.

In detail, the hydrogen production technology developed by VEMA Hydrogen is based on the controlled stimulation of natural and spontaneous geochemical reactions in shallow mafic or ultramafic formations of the subsoil.

The principle is to inject a pressurized brine in order to accelerate the oxidation-reduction reactions of iron (serpentinization) in the minerals of peridotites. These reactions produce hydrogen from the injection of a solution of salt water and catalysts, under controlled conditions.

Deploying innovative technology for decarbonization
The collaboration between the BRGM and VEMA Hydrogen illustrates the complementarity between public research and industrial innovation and demonstrates the institution's ability to support innovative industrial players in the energy transition on technologies with high decarbonization potential.

It is part of the BRGM’s desire to strengthen its position on the new energy uses of the subsoil and on decarbonization, in particular by contributing to the development of emerging low-carbon hydrogen production channels.

“The BRGM is an essential establishment in the Earth sciences and it was therefore quite natural that we collaborate on our technology of Synthetic Mineral Hydrogen. This partnership will enable us to accelerate the scientific and industrial development of our technology to provide the carbon-needed and affordable hydrogen needed for the energy transition.” Florian Osselin, President and Co-Founder of VEMA Hydrogen
Advanced digital modelling and experimentation

The partnership builds on the BRGM’s expertise in dynamic modelling of geochemical transfers and processes in subsoil reservoirs in porous environments, through its scientific software ComPASS and a PHREEQC geochemical calculation code.

The R&D program aims to integrate specific geochemical bricks in order to simulate the thermo-hydro and chemical (THC) phenomena associated with the production of orange hydrogen.

This approach will allow:
improve understanding of reaction mechanisms and transfers in geological environment;
to test different injection and production scenarios, in particular with the MIMAROC platform ;
identify scientific and technical locks to be removed for a future industrial demonstrator.

In the field of exploitation of stimulated geological hydrogen, VEMA Hydrogen will benefit from an exclusive right of exploitation of joint results, while the BRGM will be able to value methodological developments in other applications related to the resources of the subsoil.

By combining geoscience expertise, advanced numerical modeling and entrepreneurial ambition, the BRGM and VEMA Hydrogen contribute to structure an emerging sector and to position France on the strategic field of stimulated geological hydrogen.

A project supported by the CICo scheme (Collaborative Research Tax Credit)
This project is part of the CICo scheme, introduced by the State in 2022 to encourage partnerships between companies and research organizations. This scheme allows companies to share the costs and results of an R&D project in the context of research projects in collaboration with an accredited research organisation, such as the BRGM.

Source:         BRGM