Author Identifier (ORCID)
Alireza Keshavarz: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8091-961X
Abstract
Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) in salt caverns is a promising solution for large-scale renewable energy storage, but its long-term stability may be compromised by hydrogenotrophic microorganisms such as sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). This study integrates global salt basin analysis, numerical modelling, and laboratory experiments to assess microbial risks associated with the hydrogen storage. We evaluated salt deposits across six continents, reviewed microbial communities in seawater sources commonly used for the leaching, and simulated SRB behaviour under varying hydrogen concentrations. Experiments using both commercial SRB strains and indigenous consortia from Western Australia revealed minimal microbial activity under hypersaline, low-carbon conditions. These findings suggest that microbial risks in salt caverns may be strongly constrained by salinity and nutrient availability under realistic cavern conditions. Consequently, this may reduce the likelihood of hydrogen loss in properly designed cavern systems. We also propose practical mitigation strategies, including thermal sterilization and site-specific biocide use. This work highlights the need to integrate microbial risk assessments into site screening and design for safe and sustainable hydrogen storage.
Keywords
microorganisms risk assessment, salt cavern, underground hydrogen storage, Western Australia
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
9-1-2026
Volume
238
Publication Title
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Engineering
RAS ID
99279
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Aftab, A., Chaparro, S. J. S., Ali, M., Xie, Q., Saeedi, A., Keshavarz, A., & Sarmadivaleh, M. (2026). Microbial risk assessment and mitigation for underground hydrogen energy storage in salt caverns: A multidisciplinary investigation. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 238, 117003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2026.117003