Hydrogenotrophic metabolisms in the subsurface and their implications for underground hydrogen storage and natural hydrogen prospecting
10 affiliations
- 1Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
- 2Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie, CDN IC4, 80143 Naples, Italy
- 3Eni S.P.A R&D Environmental & Biological Laboratories, San Donato Milanese, MI, Italy
- 4Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
- 5Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell' Ambiente e delle Risorse (DISTAR), Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- 6Department of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- 7Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute for Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- 8Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies, National Research Council, Ancona, Italy
- 9Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- 10School of Geosciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Abstract
Hydrogen is a fundamental electron donor in diverse microbial metabolisms and it is considered the energetic currency exchanged within microbial communities in anaerobic environments. Hydrogen is also the major actor in the transition to alternative low-carbon energy sources, primarily due to its dual role as energy source and energy carrier and to the production of water as a byproduct of its combustion. The geological storage of hydrogen gas produced from diverse sources in stable terrestrial reservoirs, known also as Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS), is a key prerequisite to decouple production from utilization. UHS targets include depleted porous natural gas reservoirs, salt caverns and deep aquifers. Studies carried out in the past 30 years have unveiled a large subsurface ecosystem able to interact with the geochemical cycles and volatiles present in Earth’s crust. When hydrogen is stored underground, the microbial communities present in situ can interact with it, consuming it as electron donor, potentially producing undesired metabolic byproducts capable of affecting the success of UHS operations. Additionally, subsurface microbial communities might impact the geological production, migration and accumulation of hydrogen in natural reservoirs. Here, we review the current state of knowledge in hydrogenotrophic metabolisms capable of affecting UHS operations and natural hydrogen prospecting, and discuss how the microbiology of natural hydrogen-rich springs can be used as analog to model the state space of hydrogen operations. We discuss our current knowledge of the limits of life in the context of hydrogen economy, and the complex trophic network that hydrogen might sustain in the subsurface. While energy demands increase globally, the ability to effectively operate geological hydrogen storage and identify natural hydrogen deposits will become a key prerequisite to reduce the global carbon footprint. Understanding the potential for microbes to interact with hydrogen in the subsurface is therefore at the forefront of the ecological transition.
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BibTeX
@article{cascone2026hydrogenotrophic,
title = {{Hydrogenotrophic metabolisms in the subsurface and their implications for underground hydrogen storage and natural hydrogen prospecting}},
author = {Martina Cascone and Guillermo Climent Gargallo and Flavia Migliaccio and Davide Corso and Luca Tonietti and Angelina Cordone and Ilaria Pietrini and Elisabetta Franchi and Giovanna Carpani and Almerinda Di Benedetto and Giuseppina Luciani and Giusy Anzelmo and Andrea Giovannelli and David Iacopini and Mariano Parente and Katriona Edlmann and Marco Moracci and Donato Giovannelli},
journal = {Earth-Science Reviews},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105620},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105620},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hydrogenotrophic metabolisms in the subsurface and their implications for underground hydrogen storage and natural hydrogen prospecting
AU - Martina Cascone
AU - Guillermo Climent Gargallo
AU - Flavia Migliaccio
AU - Davide Corso
AU - Luca Tonietti
AU - Angelina Cordone
AU - Ilaria Pietrini
AU - Elisabetta Franchi
AU - Giovanna Carpani
AU - Almerinda Di Benedetto
AU - Giuseppina Luciani
AU - Giusy Anzelmo
AU - Andrea Giovannelli
AU - David Iacopini
AU - Mariano Parente
AU - Katriona Edlmann
AU - Marco Moracci
AU - Donato Giovannelli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/13
JO - Earth-Science Reviews
DO - 10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105620
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105620
AB - Hydrogen is a fundamental electron donor in diverse microbial metabolisms and it is considered the energetic currency exchanged within microbial communities in anaerobic environments. Hydrogen is also the major actor in the transition to alternative low-carbon energy sources, primarily due to its dual role as energy source and energy carrier and to the production of water as a byproduct of its combustion. The geological storage of hydrogen gas produced from diverse sources in stable terrestrial reservoirs, known also as Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS), is a key prerequisite to decouple production from utilization. UHS targets include depleted porous natural gas reservoirs, salt caverns and deep aquifers. Studies carried out in the past 30 years have unveiled a large subsurface ecosystem able to interact with the geochemical cycles and volatiles present in Earth’s crust. When hydrogen is stored underground, the microbial communities present in situ can interact with it, consuming it as electron donor, potentially producing undesired metabolic byproducts capable of affecting the success of UHS operations. Additionally, subsurface microbial communities might impact the geological production, migration and accumulation of hydrogen in natural reservoirs. Here, we review the current state of knowledge in hydrogenotrophic metabolisms capable of affecting UHS operations and natural hydrogen prospecting, and discuss how the microbiology of natural hydrogen-rich springs can be used as analog to model the state space of hydrogen operations. We discuss our current knowledge of the limits of life in the context of hydrogen economy, and the complex trophic network that hydrogen might sustain in the subsurface. While energy demands increase globally, the ability to effectively operate geological hydrogen storage and identify natural hydrogen deposits will become a key prerequisite to reduce the global carbon footprint. Understanding the potential for microbes to interact with hydrogen in the subsurface is therefore at the forefront of the ecological transition.
SN - 0012-8252
SN - 1872-6828
ER -