Methane News - SciTechDaily

Sunlight to Syngas: Revolutionizing Methane Reforming

PNAS Nexus — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:23:44 +0000

A new solar-driven photocatalysis method for syngas production from methane steam reforming promises a more sustainable and efficient approach to syngas generation. Recent research reveals...

Webb’s Cosmic Coup: Sniffing Out Methane on a Distant World

Taylor Bell and Luis Welbanks — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 09:45:18 +0000

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected methane in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-80 b, a milestone in space exploration. This discovery, confirmed through...

EMIT: NASA’s Unexpected Hero in the Climate Crisis

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 21:09:51 +0000

Since launching 16 months ago, the EMIT imaging spectrometer aboard the International Space Station has shown an ability to detect more than just surface minerals....

Revelations of Ancient Plant Wax: Methane Dynamics and Global Warming

Northwestern University — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 15:39:58 +0000

Warming led to an intensified methane cycle, lasting thousands of years, study finds. New study makes novel use of plant biomarkers preserved in sediment to...

Scientists Identify Previously Unknown Sources of Methane Emissions

Technical University of Munich (TUM) — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 11:21:14 +0000

Following carbon dioxide, methane ranks as the second most prevalent greenhouse gas resulting from human activities. Its global warming potential over two decades exceeds that...

Methane Surprise: Ponds Release More Greenhouse Gas Than They Store

Cornell University — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 23:18:48 +0000

Cornell research indicates that ponds could be net emitters of greenhouse gases, particularly methane. Addressing methane release could potentially turn ponds from greenhouse gas sources...

New Research Reveals Surprising Sources of Methane Emissions

University of Wisconsin–Madison — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 20:31:25 +0000

Freshwater ecosystems are responsible for about half of the world’s methane releases, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. A significant portion of...

Hydrothermal Vents and Global Warming – New Revelations From Below the Ocean’s Surface

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 03:46:47 +0000

Recent research reveals that volcanic activity 56 million years ago emitted a higher amount of methane than previously estimated. Approximately 55 million years ago, the...

Single Atom Catalysis: Palladium’s Power Against Methane Pollution

Washington State University — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 18:40:06 +0000

Scientists have developed a catalyst using single palladium atoms that can remove 90% of unburned methane from natural gas engine exhaust at low temperatures, offering...

Solving a 20-Year Old Puzzle: Sahara Dust and Its Impact on Climate Change

Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:32:08 +0000

New research improves our understanding of the global methane budget. The research includes a proposed new mechanism whereby blowing mineral dust mixes with sea-spray to...

Single Atom Catalyst Could Cut Methane Pollution 90% From Millions of Engines

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 08:54:43 +0000

Researchers demonstrate a way to remove the potent greenhouse gas from the exhaust of engines that burn natural gas. A new catalyst using single palladium...

Arctic’s Melting Glaciers Reveal Hidden Methane Time Bomb

University of Cambridge — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 03:47:53 +0000

Shrinking Arctic glaciers are uncovering bubbling groundwater springs that release large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, according to a study in Nature Geoscience....

Puzzle-Solving Mastery: How a Methane-Producing Bacterium Creates Its Own Sulfate Reduction Machinery

Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 15:00:50 +0000

How a methanogenic microbe reassembles a metabolic pathway piece by piece to transform Sulfate into a cellular building block. Researchers have discovered that the methanogen...

Illuminating Science: X-Rays Visualize How One of Nature’s Strongest Bonds Breaks

Uppsala University — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 18:00:48 +0000

Scientists have deciphered how an activated catalyst breaks down the strong carbon-hydrogen bonds in potent greenhouse gas methane, according to a study published in Science....

Concerning – New Detection Method Uncovers Massive Amount of Methane

University of California - Riverside — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 19:29:53 +0000

Advancement in pollution detection methods raises questions about current environmental policies. UC Riverside scientists have discovered a massive amount of methane, a highly potent greenhouse...

Climate Science Shock: Methane’s Unexpected Cooling Impact Unveiled

University of California - Riverside — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 15:37:36 +0000

Impacts of potent greenhouse gas: a bit lower than previously thought. UC Riverside researchers found that methane not only traps heat in the atmosphere but...

Previously Undetectable: Releases of Deep-Sea Methane Happen More Often Than Expected

Brown University — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 09:10:14 +0000

New findings reveal that deep-sea methane deposits are converting into gas at a higher rate than previously observed and that a specific group of fossilized...

Switching to Hydrogen Fuel Could Cause Long-Term Climate Consequences

Princeton University — Sun, 02 Apr 2023 14:44:46 +0000

Research conducted by Princeton University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association suggests that a chemical reaction in the lower atmosphere could restrict the potential...

Scientists Discover Enzyme That Can Turn Poison Into Food

Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 04:40:42 +0000

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology have uncovered how a methane-producing microbe thrives on toxic sulfite without becoming poisoned. Methanogens are tiny...

Nanowire Made by Bacteria Provides Important Clues to Combating Climate Change

Yale University — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 10:33:25 +0000

An ultra-stable protein nanowire made by bacteria provides clues to combating climate change. Rapid global warming poses a severe and immediate threat to life on...

Uncovering the Hidden Sources of City Methane Emissions: Researchers Reveal Unrecognized Contributors to Global Warming

McGill University — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 13:03:20 +0000

Montreal’s municipal greenhouse gas inventory presents an incomplete picture of methane emissions. Cities are responsible for almost 1/5th of the global methane emissions caused by...

Carbon Mapper: NASA Sensors to Help Detect Methane Emitted by Landfills

Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 12:01:32 +0000

A nonprofit group, Carbon Mapper, will use data from NASA’s EMIT mission, plus current airborne and future satellite instruments, to survey waste sites for methane...

A Better Way To Search for Extraterrestrial Life

University of California - Riverside — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 21:21:10 +0000

An airborne chemical sends a distinctive biological signal. Broccoli, along with many other plants and microorganisms, release gases to aid in the removal of toxins....

New “Artificial Photosynthesis” System Produces Methane With 10x Efficiency

Louise Lerner, University of Chicago — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 17:32:28 +0000

University of Chicago breakthrough creates methane fuel from sun, carbon dioxide, and water. Humans have relied on fossil fuels for concentrated energy for the past...