Researchers say the soils and sediments of the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin are able to store carbon for thousands of years, a fact they warn could portend increased rates of carbon dioxide emissions as such vulnerable regions are exposed to the effects of climate change.

Using radiocarbon dating, scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found that organic carbon can remain for 500 to 17,000 years, despite extraordinarily high rates of physical erosion and sediment transport within the basin that drains the Himalayas.

Downstream, within the Gangetic floodplain, the carbon resides from 1,500 to 3,500 years. The longer the carbon remains within the soil, the longer it is kept out of the atmosphere, said Valier Galy, a WHOI researcher and one of the authors of the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

But as rising temperatures destabilize soils and “ancient” carbon stored within the Ganges basin and elsewhere in the world, this could lead to more carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere, further hastening warming.

In another new study, researchers at Rice University suggest that a massive release of methane from under the Arctic seafloor could have triggered a major climate shift 56 million years ago.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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It’s a $160 billion a year market you’ve probably never heard of.

Ethylene, the intermediary chemical compound from which popular plastics and many other high value products are derived, has traditionally been made in the petroleum industry via steam cracking, an energy- and carbon-intensive process. It’s the most produced organic compound in the world; annual global production is in the hundreds of millions of tons. To meet ever-increasing demand, production facilities are being added globally, particularly in the Persian Gulf and China.

The problem is, it’s complicated and expensive to make ethylene. And, or course, petroleum reserves are waning.

For decades, chemical engineers have been pursuing cost effective ways to make this key industrial compound from other things. Now, a handful of companies think they’re honing in on ways to make ethylene from the methane in natural gas with commercially viable processes.

If making ethylene from methane turns out to be possible at scale, it could be a watershed for the chemical and petroleum industries. Ethylene from methane could potentially be much less expensive, given that natural gas is one-fifth the price of oil. And its supply could be more sustainable, given the massive and growing size of natural gas reserves.

The methane conversion space is more crowded than one might expect. Kachan & Co. recently performed a consulting project for a client that uncovered and profiled 24 announced and stealth mode startups in this space, along with 19 blue chip companies and 6 universities and government labs. The project involved interviews with company and research personnel, a review of venture investment data, interviews with investors and trade organizations, an intellectual property patent search and a literature review that included media and scientific sources.

Here are some of the more interesting of the 24 small organizations we found at the forefront of methane-to-ethylene commercialization today:

Excerpt from private Kachan & Co. study of 24 methane to ethylene companies, October 2011

The companies we found worldwide pursing methane-to-ethylene arranged themselves into rough groupings by type:

• IP Provider: Develops IP related to methane-to-ethylene, does not go beyond IP phase
• Technology Provider: Developed a technology and a prototype, intend to license to other companies (e.g. Carbon Sciences)
• Application Provider: Developed a technology, and sells engineering services to build facilities (e.g. BCCK) or manufacture technology (e.g. Rentech)
• Technology Operator: Goes beyond the licensing and directly operates facilities (e.g. CompactGTL) 

Global oil and gas majors have been working on the challenge of methane to ethylene for years themselves, with dozens of patents issued. But none have cracked the code of profitable commercial scale production.

Global oil majors and number of patents in converting methane to ethylene

High value chemicals like ethylene from natural gas would be even more compelling if the gas was derived from renewable, biological sources, and not from conventional reserves or fracking, as today. Small volumes of renewable methane are available today from anaerobic digestion and landfill gas. But large volumes are promised by a new wave of companies commercializing thermal gasification and other approaches to creating bio natural gas from wood waste and other widely available feedstocks (see the Kachan report The Bio Natural Gas Opportunity).

Complicated science aside, it won’t be easy for companies to bring methane to ethylene innovations to scale. Ethylene and other high value chemicals today are an oligopoly, a market hard to crack. Any new process will likely need to be championed by one of today’s 5 big suppliers as a partner to enter the market. Then there’s the culture clash between small, fast-moving venture backed companies seeking quick exists and the notoriously slow, conservative petroleum and chemical industries.

But those challenges are likely surmountable, according to the bets that are being made by name brand cleantech venture backers of the companies in this space.

Article by Dallas Kachan, appearing courtesy Kachan & Co. A former managing director of the Cleantech Group, Dallas Kachan is now managing partner of Kachan & Co., a cleantech research and advisory firm that does business worldwide from San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver. Kachan & Co. staff have been covering, publishing about and helping propel clean technology since 2006. Kachan & Co. offers cleantech research reports, consulting and other services that help accelerate its clients’ success in clean technology. Details at www.kachan.com.

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A case study in Vermont suggests that it is economically feasible for dairy farms to convert cow manure into electricity using anaerobic methane digestion, provided there is adequate commitment from utilities, farmers, customers, and government agencies.

During a seven-year period, six dairy farms participating in the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation’s (CVPS) so-called Cow Power program were able to generate about 12 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, and more than 4,600 customers voluntarily paid $0.04 more per kilowatt-hour, or about $470,000 annually, to use that power, according to a study published in the Journal of Dairy Science.

“The Cow Power program represents a successful and locally sourced renewable energy project with many economic and environmental benefits,” said Qingbin Wang a University of Vermont professor and lead author of the study.

But the study found the program’s success was dependent on several factors, including the base electricity price, premium rate, government financial support, and additional revenue from the sale of byproducts of methane generation.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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Natural gas has been getting a lot of bad press recently because of the fracking (‘hydraulic fracturing’) debacle. The problem is that this method of gas drilling is riddled with controversy and real environmental risks. Gasland, an Oscar-nominated documentary about fracking, brought to the world’s attention how people living near fracking sites had their water poisoned.

But there are companies with cleaner ideas for natural gas. One of them is Carbon Sciences, a Santa Barbara, California outfit who is developing a technology to make gasoline and other types of fuel from natural gas and carbon dioxide. The process is a variation on the Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids (GTL) process. What’s better, it could be cost competitive with crude oil at US$80.

The company says its mission is to “enable the nations of the world to reduce their dependence on petroleum by cost effectively using natural gas and CO2 to produce cleaner and greener liquid fuels for immediate use in the existing transportation infrastructure.” A noble mission, indeed.

Carbon Sciences recently announced it has entered a strategic partnership to bring its technology to market. “After a significant amount of testing, we have developed the key catalyst that the energy industry has been searching for. It is a catalyst for the dry reforming of methane (CH4) from natural gas and carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce synthetic gas (syngas). After productive discussions with potential strategic partners, our business model is now clear”, CEO Byron Elton told Energy Refuge.

Byron has a reason to celebrate as there are several potential clients to apply his company’s technology, which requires less energy and reduces CO2 emissions as well. Byron takes a pragmatic approach to energy. “What are the alternative forms of energy, especially transport energy? The days of getting cheap oil are over. We need clean and abundant fuel”, he said.

Carbon Sciences envisages possibilities to work with existing facilities around the world that currently produce syngas and which currently employ more costly methods of reforming methane (steam, auto-thermal or partial oxidation). It says these plants produce substantial quantities of troublesome “tail gas” containing methane and CO2 that must be separated and recycled or otherwise disposed of safely and ecologically. With the help of its technology, it notes, this tail gas can be economically transformed into additional valuable syngas.

“Out technology is very compelling in comparison with crude oil. It’s much cleaner to begin with. We actually use CO2 in the process of dry reforming. The biggest challenge has always been to find the right catalyst, which we have found. We’ve carried out tests in Canada and the U.S., which have proven the catalyst produces the same product. And it is cheaper”, added Byron.

It all sounds great but when is it going to be available? “In three to five years, which in this business is the blink of an eye”, he replied. “Maybe we’ll be producing fuel before five years but on a large scale that’s how long it would take.”

There’s plenty of gas in the southeast and northwest of the United States. In places like Malaysia there are great reserves, which have not been tapped so far because of their high concentration of CO2.

“The challenge with natural gas is how much CO2 is in it. For the people who are harvesting it, the lower the concentration, the better. 20% is the top. Our technology can handle a concentration of up to 50%”, he said. “And we don’t need to use fracking.”

OK, so natural gas is a transition fuel that can be extracted fairly cleanly and help us mitigate carbon emissions. But it will probably run out, too, at some point. “Probably the solution to all this is solar power”, said Byron. However, he points out, natural gas is probably the best bet to take us to that stage when solar can meet our energy needs.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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Natural gas extracted from shale deposits by a process known as hydraulic fracturing generates more greenhouse gas emissions over a 20-year period than conventional gas, oil, and coal, according to a Cornell University study.

Researchers said that during the lifespan of the average shale-gas drilling operation — in which a mix of water, chemicals, and sand is pumped into the ground to release natural gas trapped in shale formations — about 4 to 8 percent of the total gas production leaks into the atmosphere in the form of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.

While methane does not linger in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, over the course of two decades the total carbon footprint of drilling for and burning shale gas is at least 20 percent greater than the footprint for coal production and combustion, and perhaps twice as great, said Robert Howarth, the lead author of the study, published in the journal Climatic Change Letters.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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If you’ve been searching for an environmentally friendly excuse to head to the pub for a pint, a group of scientists from Cornell University may be able to help. The scientists looked at over 400,000 gene sequences from brewery wastewater. Uncovered, were the genes of the microbes best suited to converting the wastewater into biofuel.

Anheuser-Busch InBev provided access to wastewater from nine U.S. breweries. Inside million-gallon bioreactor tanks used to process the wastewater, some of the microbes produce methane, not unlike a cow. The methane produced provides for 20% of the heating needs at the breweries, providing significant cost savings for Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Each bioreactor was cultivating both common and unique bacteria. Some of the bacteria were hardy and other populations too small. Like Goldilocks, the scientists found the microbes that were just right.

The communities of microbes best suited to producing methane are being investigated further. The scientists hope to learn more about how changes in environment, such as temperature, affect the microbes. Ultimately the hope is to “shape” the microbial communities to produce, not methane, but the basic building blocks of carbon fuels.

Biofuels suffer from several flaws. While it is not the case here, the use of food crops, such as corn, to produce biofuels is damaging to the global food system and a dubious use of water and other resources. Fossil fuels are used in the production of biofuels, adding to their emissions footprint.

Biofuels are a carbon fuel at their base. When biofuels are burned they produce carbon dioxide. Compared to emissions from fossil fuels biofuels burn clean. Referred to as “carbon neutral”, in a best case scenario, biofuels are the equivalent of treading water. Treading water alone will not save you and biofuels alone will not save the planet.

Brewing beer produces wastewater. By capturing and using the methane produced, Anheuser-Busch InBev uses what would otherwise have gone to waste. Additionally they reduce their consumption of other fuel, which may have been more damaging. The process may not be perfect but it certainly steps in the right direction.

So the next time you sidle up to the watering hole, give some consideration to the wastewater brewing beer produces. Anheuser-Busch InBev is using their wastewater to act sustainably. Regarding the wastewater produced by consuming beer, it appears water conservation would be the central issue, making the adage of “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” seem like a good place to start.

Article by Adrian King, appearing courtesy Justmeans.

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Methane is one of the most harmful of all the greenhouse gasses, but new research could be the secret to harnessing this energy for common electronics.

Electrochemical fuel cells have always been viewed as a clean source of power, but using them in any other setting than the laboratory has been hindered by their high cost, reliability issues, and temperature.

Fuel cells usually work by converting chemical energy (often from a hydrocarbon fuel such as methane) into electrical energy by way of an electrochemical reaction.. The reaction results in electricity, by-product water, and by-product heat (FTEC).

Recently, a group of researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) reported several critical advances in solid-oxide fuel cell technology that may quicken their pace to market in practical forms.

First, they found a way to eliminate the platinum in thin-film micro fuel cells, but using ceramic instead. Next, they were able to demonstrate a methane-fueled micro-SOFC operating at much lower temperatures than many scientists thought was possible.

Lead researcher Shriram Ramanathan explains the significance of these breakthroughs in ScienceDaily:

Low temperature is a holy grail in this field,” says Ramanathan. “If you can realize high-performance solid-oxide fuel cells that operate in the 300-500°C range, you can use them in transportation vehicles and portable electronics, and with different types of fuels.”

It’s also significant that Ramanathan conducted his ground-breaking experiments with methane instead of hydrogen, the preferred fuel for SOFCs. Methane is much more abundant and affordable ( from cows, landfills, and from sinks trapped below the earth’s surface), and requires less processing than pure hydrogen.

We’ve already seen fuel cells powered by urine and microbes, so using a readily available natural gas to juice up our electronics doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch. Ramanathan hopes that his research will help scientists reach “the goal of identifying affordable, earth-abundant materials that can help lower the operating temperature even further,” and make commercial fuel cells a reality.

Article by Beth Buczynski, appearing courtesy CrispGreen.

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Remember when the idea of generating electricity from wind turbines and solar panels seemed really cool? No denying their benefits, but they are sooo last year.

Energy folks have gazed with envy at those who work in telecommunications for a long time. They invented the cell phone. Energy wanted its own thingamabob that would completely revolutionize its market. Now, with all of the thought, money and politics backing energy tinkerers, forget the cell phone. I suspect Energy is approaching a “Beam me up, Scottie” breakthrough.

Here are a few of my favorite new contraptions and concepts.

Viridity Energy and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority are tapping into the growing use of waste energy. (We in the US apparently waste about as much energy as the Japanese use in total.) In this case, Viridity software works to capture the energy created when a train brakes. The excess power is stored in a battery and then sold to the power grid. The first test will occur at Philadelphia’s busiest subway line. If it works, it may spread to public transportation systems across the country.

“The project will pair the latest 21st century technologies and energy optimization practices with one of the country’s oldest transportation systems, dating back to the deployment of electric trolleys in 1892,” says Viridity’s news release. “Mass transit systems across the country are striving to maintain high quality service while facing growing fiscal challenges which are further compounded by rising energy costs. The pilot represents a large and untapped potential for transit systems to help meet these challenges and at the same time improve grid reliability in highly populated urban neighborhoods.”

Elisa Wood is a long-time energy writer whose work appears in many of the industry’s top magazines and newsletters. She is publisher of the Energy Efficiency Markets podcast and newsletter.

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Bubble, Bubble, Methane is Trouble: A vast storehouse of methane under the Arctic Ocean has perforated and is starting to leak, researchers disclosed. While scientists have long been preoccupied with methane release from permafrost on mainland Siberia, the underwater stores in the adjoining East Siberian Arctic Shelf are much larger, and the release of even a small fraction could lead to a dramatic increase in global warming. Methane is a greenhouse gas at least 25 times more powerful than CO2.

Now a Word from Our Other Gases: It was a promising week in the world of fuels. A Colorado startup revealed a solar concentrator that can vaporize biomass and make high-yield synthetic fuels. British scientists explored enzymes in the gut of a boat-eating bug that could break down straw or waste wood. Meanwhile, a California newbie called Transonic Combustion claims to have invented a fuel-injection system that could boost mileage of plain old gas by 50 percent. The company registered 64 miles to the gallon in recent test drives.

As if that wasn’t enough, Brazil’s 10 millionth vehicle powered by sugarcane ethanol hit the road. Also, the world’s largest shipping company, Maersk, said it would try to cut its CO2 output by 20 percent over the next seven years by blending its heavy engine oil with biofuels.

Winners in the Cheap, Common-Sense Category Are: Rooftop solar water heaters are spreading like dandelion seeds in China and Europe; if worldwide growth projections hold true, in the next decade they could save the energy equivalent of 690 coal-fired power plants. Hurrah also for the efficient cookstove, a simple contraption that could stamp out soot, reduce the melting of glaciers, and help women and children live longer in the developing world.

Electric Batteries Cheaper; Charging Stations Out? Prices for electric-car batteries are dropping so fast that an electric car might not cost as much as the bean-counters thought. Also, a study finds that most electric-car drivers get around fine by charging at home; does this mean electric-car charging stations are a big waste of money?

Now Get Out of Here: With the Greek economy in meltdown, there’s never been a better time to buy an island. If it sinks underwater because of global warming, then make like the Maldives and build your own.

Article by David Ferris appearing courtesy Matter Network.

photo of Siberia: PacificKlaus

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A study by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang of the World Bank looked at the relative importance of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses from oil, natural gas, and coal compared to the life cycle and supply chain emissions of domesticated animals raised for food. They conclude that greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food account for 51% of annual emissions caused by humans and should be given higher priority in global efforts to fight climate change.

While livestock are already known to contribute to GHG emissions, their levels have been underestimated or simply overlooked, former and current World Bank environmental experts Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang.

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