The present invention relates to the reduction of materials at low temperatures (<600 C.) by means of microwave radiation without needing to use chemical reducing agents or electrical contacts. It relates more specifically to a method for reducing a material, which comprises the following steps: applying microwave radiation to a material disposed in a microwave application cavity; and separating simultaneously the fluid oxidation products generated from the reduced material,
such that the method is carried out without chemical reducing agents or electrical contacts.

Systems and methods for coproduction of hydrogen gas and a metal are provided. Systems include at least one injection well, at least one production well in fluid communication with the at least one injection well, a source of an aqueous based solution in fluid communication with the at least one injection well, an iron containing source rock formation containing an additional metal, and a collection tank, fluidly connected to the at least one production well. Methods include identifying an iron containing source rock formation including iron and an additional metal, heating an aqueous based solution to a reaction temperature, injecting the heated aqueous based solution into the iron containing source rock formation, reacting the iron containing source rock formation and the heated aqueous based solution in a water-rock reaction to produce a post-reaction fluid including hydrogen and the additional metal, and producing the post-reaction fluid with a production well.

Embodiments of the invention relate to producing hydrogen from a subsurface formation by injecting a reactant into the subsurface formation and reacting the reactant with the subsurface formation to form at least one of hydrogen gas or a mineralized product within the subsurface formation. The hydrogen produced is collected or one or more components of the reactant is sequestered to form a mineralized product in the subsurface formation. Other embodiments of the invention relate to producing hydrogen by injecting a thermal fluid into the subsurface rock formation, where the thermal fluid includes a reactant. The reactant is reacted with components in the subsurface formation to form at least one of hydrogen gas, mineralized sulfur, or mineralized carbon.

Systems and methods for generating hydrogen through serpentinization of iron-bearing rock, including mafic rock, ultramafic rock and banded iron formations is presented herein. The systems and methods use geothermally-heated and/or surface-heated fluid circulating through one or more fluidically-communicative wellbores to accelerate the production of hydrogen. A geothermal-injector wellbore is formed in a geothermal rock layer, and is communicative with a separate geothermal-collection wellbore, also formed in the geothermal layer. Fluid is pumped through the geothermal-injector wellbore, geothermally heated, collected by the geothermal-collection wellbore, and injected into a targeted rock layer that includes iron-bearing rock. The heated fluid increases the rate of hydrogen production though serpentinization of the rock, which is then collected through a separate producer wellbore. In some cases, a serpentinization-injector wellbore is used to circulate surface-heated and/or chemically-treated fluid to the targeted rock layer to accelerate hydrogen production.

Systems and methods for sequestering carbon, evolving hydrogen gas, producing iron oxide as magnetite, and producing magnesium carbonate as magnesite through sequential carbonation and serpentinization/hydration reactions involving processed olivine- and/or pyroxene-rich ores, as typically found in mafic and ultramafic igneous rock. Precious or scarce metals, such nickel, cobalt, chromium, rare earth elements, and others, may be concentrated in the remaining ore to facilitate their recovery from any gangue material.

A process for the obtention of a hydrogen-rich gas stream from aluminium waste by obtaining a process water resulting from contacting aluminium salt slag with tap water, adding the process water of the previous step to an aluminium waste in a solution, and the hydrolysis of that solution to obtain the gas stream. The process is capable to obtain a yield of reaction close to 100% in higher reaction times.

A process for the obtention of a hydrogen-rich gas stream from aluminium waste by obtaining a process water resulting from contacting aluminium salt slag with tap water, adding the process water of the previous step to an aluminium waste in a solution, and the hydrolysis of that solution to obtain the gas stream. The process is capable to obtain a yield of reaction close to 100% in higher reaction times.

A thermochemical gas splitting reactor system and a method of splitting gas are disclosed. The system includes a reactor including a reaction zone comprising active material, a gas heating zone, and a gas distribution plate assembly interposed between the reaction zone and the gas heating zone. Exemplary systems can include multiple reactors. The method can include providing one or more reactors and performing one or more of an oxidation and/or reduction process using each of the reactors.

A thermochemical gas splitting reactor system and a method of splitting gas are disclosed. The system includes a reactor including a reaction zone comprising active material, a gas heating zone, and a gas distribution plate assembly interposed between the reaction zone and the gas heating zone. Exemplary systems can include multiple reactors. The method can include providing one or more reactors and performing one or more of an oxidation and/or reduction process using each of the reactors.

Embodiments of the invention relate to producing hydrogen from a subsurface formation by injecting a reactant into the subsurface formation and reacting the reactant with the subsurface formation to form at least one of hydrogen gas or a mineralized product within the subsurface formation. The hydrogen produced is collected or one or more components of the reactant is sequestered to form a mineralized product in the subsurface formation. Other embodiments of the invention relate to producing hydrogen by injecting a thermal fluid into the subsurface rock formation, where the thermal fluid includes a reactant. The reactant is reacted with components in the subsurface formation to form at least one of hydrogen gas mineralized sulfur, or mineralized carbon.