DHAHRAN: Students from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals took first place in the inaugural White Gold Rush competition here this week, beating teams from Canada’s University of Waterloo in a contest focused on natural hydrogen.
Often called the “new white gold,” hydrogen is being explored as a low-carbon alternative to oil.
The competition challenged undergraduate students from the institutions to examine how hydrogen is produced, migrates and accumulates underground, and to develop a framework for hydrogen systems modeled on the petroleum system.
Teams of three to four students presented research across six themes: source and origin, migration and accumulation, exploration and drilling, extraction and transportation, sustainability and impact, and economic feasibility.
Three judges from each university made the final call. First, third and fourth places went to KFUPM teams. Teams from Waterloo won second, fifth and sixth.
