Move over coal, oil and natural gas, Methane Hydrate is coming

May 12, 2008   by Jozef Winter

If coal, oil, and natural gas weren’t bad enough when it comes to burning nonrenewable resources to feed our energy hunger, another player, methane hydrate is set to make the list even longer. Methane hydrate, while not new, has, until recently, been difficult to harvest and where possible, not economical. With advances in technology and the prices of conventional fossil fuels steadily rising, however, this fuel is becoming more of a reality. But first, some background.

Methane Hydrate (MH), also known as methane ice, is essentially just that; methane gas frozen inside ice crystals. This ice, which can hold over 99% of its volume in methane, can burn while frozen, an amazing sight, a visual oxymoron. It is found most commonly on the ocean floors and in the permafrost of the arctic and antarctic, where the temperatures are low enough to maintain ice, even despite salinity. The methane was produced by anaerobic bacteria, and now seems ready for human harvest.

The majority of the world’s stocks lie in and around Japan and the coasts of southern north and central america. The estimates of these stocks, a number which was significantly reduced compared to estimates a decade ago still total between 500-2500 Gigatons of carbon, in addition to which the arctic permafrosts hold about 400 gigatons alone (releasing more and more while it melts). To make things very clear, the atmosphere currently holds about 700 gigatons of carbon, so this stuff can potentially have a massive impact.

PBS, as part of their Green Options feature through their Nightly Business Report, starting May 13, will report on the current state of MH on the 16th. Currently Japan is investing many resources to commercialize the harvest and use of MH, and PBS claims that if they are successful, it would be “a dream come true”. I would refrain from calling the release of gigatons of currently sequestered carbon into the atmosphere a “dream come true”, but that’s just me. The benefit of the program, however, will be to highlight some of the new technologies that are emerging, and they focus on new ethanol production methods, the MH of course, evil Monsanto’s bioengineered crops, and hybrids, so it may be worth a watch.