Review of Methane Mitigation Technologies with Application to Rapid Release of Methane from the Arctic

Abstract

Methane is the most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, with particular influence on near-term climate change. It poses increasing risk in the future from both direct anthropogenic sources and potential rapid release from the Arctic. A range of mitigation (emissions control) technologies have been developed for anthropogenic sources that can be developed for further application, including to Arctic sources. Significant gaps in understanding remain of the mechanisms, magnitude, and likelihood of rapid methane release from the Arctic. Methane may be released by several pathways, including lakes, wetlands, and oceans, and may be either uniform over large areas or concentrated in patches. Across Arctic sources, bubbles originating in the sediment are the most important mechanism for methane to reach the atmosphere. Most known technologies operate on confined gas streams of 0.1% methane or more, and may be applicable to limited Arctic sources where methane is concentrated in pockets. However, some mitigation strategies developed for rice paddies and agricultural soils are promising for Arctic wetlands and thawing permafrost. Other mitigation strategies specific to the Arctic have been proposed but have yet to be studied. Overall, we identify four avenues of research and development that can serve the dual purposes of addressing current methane sources and potential Arctic sources: (1) methane release detection and quantification, (2) mitigation units for small and remote methane streams, (3) mitigation methods for dilute (<1000 ppm) methane streams, and (4) understanding methanotroph and methanogen ecology.

Current systematic carbon-cycle observations and the need for implementing a policy-relevant carbon observing system

“…Yet, anthropogenic emissions of CO 2 and CH 4 estimated from inventories cannot be validated by independent observations. The ability of nations, provinces, and local municipalities to implement policies that reduce emissions or create sinks of CO 2 and CH 4 (de Richter and Caillol, 2011;Kucharczyk, 2011;Stolaroff et al, 2012) will partly depend upon their ability to measure progress, and evaluate effectiveness of national and sub-national actions. Uncertainties in inventories need to be dramatically reduced to support effective policies.…”

Methylotrophs in natural habitats: current insights through metagenomics

“…Of special concern is the predicted future thaw of the permafrost, potentially releasing large amounts of the trapped methane into the atmosphere (Stolaroff et al 2012). Therefore, information on microbial communities involved in production and consumption of methane in these environments is crucial.…”

The Effect of the Preparation Method of Pd-Doped Cobalt Spinel on the Catalytic Activity in Methane Oxidation Under Lean Fuel Conditions

“…The flameless combustion is ideal for highly diluted air/fuel streams, as the production of NO x is inhibited by the relatively low reaction temperature [2]. Typical processes involving combustion of CH 4 in lean conditions are the after-treatment of unconverted CH 4 in compressed natural gas-fed vehicle exhausts (ranging from 0.4 to 1 vol%) [3,4] or the treatment of fugitive CH 4 from leaks in coal mines [5,6], from gas transportation facilities such as pipelines and compressor stations [7,8], from upstream oil and gas production facilities [9], and from other anthropogenic sources (ranging from 0.5 to 4 vol%) [10,11].…”