Japanese Scientists Extract Fuel From Frozen Methane
Friday, March 15th, 2013March 15, 2013
For the first time, scientists have extracted natural gas from methane-hydrate deposits, Japanese researchers announced this week. Methane hydrate is methane gas trapped in frozen water–the substance forms an icelike solid. When burning, methane hydrate looks like ice on fire. Deposits of methane hydrates are found in the Arctic, the Antarctic,and along offshore areas of continents.
A map of the known and inferred methane-hydrate deposits created by the United States Geological Survey. (USGS)
Scientists have been searching for a practical and economical method of extracting methane hydrate. Earth’s deposits of this compound form a larger resource of hydrocarbons than oil, natural gas, and coal combined. Japan imports a huge amount of fuel for energy, so the ability to extract the methane off of Japan’s coast for energy would be an economic boon to the nation. This is particularly true now that Japan has shut down most of its nuclear power plants after the meltdown and leak of radioactive materials at Fukushima in 2011. Japan has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into research on methane hydrates. In the current successful experiment, scientists used depressurization to release the methane from its hydrate bond.
Environmentalists are concerned about the process of extracting methane in this fashion. Methane is about 20 times as powerful as carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. If a sizable amount of methane gas was freed into the atmosphere during the extraction process, it could have a large and unpredictable effect on Earth’s climate. Geologists are also studying whether mining for methane hydrates could destabilize the seabed, potentially causing tsunamis.
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