Molecular Hydrogen Generation from Organic Sources in Geological Systems

A cumulative H2 potential of 20 mg/g TOC is found from organic matter in source rocks, with generation peaking at vitrinite reflectance of 3.5–5.0%. This dataset, associated with a 2022 journal article, reports on pyrolysis experiments and analyses from Paleozoic maturity suites in Australia and other global locations. It includes kinetic parameters for hydrogen formation and estimates a global accessible H2 resource of approximately 3.5E+10 tonnes.

Use Cases

• Modeling hydrogen generation kinetics based on reported pyrolysis experiments and adjusted parameters.
• Estimating regional hydrogen resource potential based on the inferred yields per unit rock volume for formations like the Patchawarra.
• Comparing hydrogen storage potential in marine versus terrigenous shales based on described porosity differences.
• Calibrating maturity indicators for hydrogen generation using the reported vitrinite reflectance range of 3.5–5.0%.

Strengths

• Includes experimental data from multiple global basins, including the Cooper and Georgina Basins in Australia.
• Provides a specific cumulative hydrogen potential figure of 20 mg/g TOC.
• Defines a precise main generation window at vitrinite reflectance of 3.5–5.0%.
• Contains a global resource estimate of approximately 3.5E+10 tonnes of accessible H2.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the selected study basins.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Open system pyrolysis experiments and high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis, as described in the associated journal article.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:31:50.348153; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Includes the Songliao Basin (China), Cooper Basin and Georgina Basin (Australia), and additional locations in Europe and the USA.