Methane (CH
4
) and carbon dioxide (CO
2
), the
important greenhouse gases, are capable of forming clathrate hydrates
under some suitable thermodynamic conditions. The gas storage capacity
of these materials is high, and therefore they are often useful in
gas storage applications. Certain expensive and toxic chemicals are
employed to accelerate/decelerate the process. In this study, we report
rapid (∼30–50 min) and effective (∼80%) methane
hydrate conversion in the presence of three naturally occurring additives
such as dry powders from
Nelumbo nucifera
(Indian lotus),
Piper betle
(betel),
and
Azadirachta indica
(neem), at lower
concentrations (0.5 wt %). Obtained results were carefully compared
with the well-known kinetic promoter (sodium dodecyl sulfate). All
the biomaterials are equally good kinetic promoters for methane hydrates,
although the required subcooling is significantly large. However,
no hydrate formation is observed with CO
2
gas.