Nature continuously removes methane from the atmosphere through several natural oxidation processes, but this doesn’t happen fast enough to counteract massive methane emissions and stop them from accumulating in the atmosphere. To achieve that will take a combination of aggressive methane emissions reduction, and innovative methane removal.
Methane Action is currently helping coordinate and collaborating with an international network of scientists to identify, assess, and develop safe, effective ways to remove methane, both near sources of methane pollution and from the atmosphere.
For example, solar chimneys use solar energy to circulate large volumes of air and incorporate a photocatalytic process to remove methane from it as it passes through. Several photocatalysts have also been shown to be able to oxidize methane at ambient temperature, such as titanium dioxide, or 0.1% silver doped zinc oxide. Another potentially scalable method for removing methane from the atmosphere involves augmenting direct air capture or other air moving equipment with catalytic materials and zeolite filters. The zeolites absorb methane from the air passing through the equipment, allowing the catalytic materials more time to oxidize it.
Methane Action works to evaluate all methane removal technologies according to safety, effectiveness, equity, scalability, affordability, and other vital considerations, and to advance best governance practices for methane removal. We also support broad-based, inclusive processes to enable stakeholders, affected communities, advocates, and experts to weigh in meaningfully before any methane removal technology gets deployed at scale.