September 7, 2008 - CNG & Methane Harvesting

There has been talk how some of the cities, counties, and states are beginning to harvest methane from landfills. Let's first understand what it can be used for.Methane harvesting: Let's go back a little further... about a few years ago, scientists found methane bubbles trapped in frozen ice. As we go deeper into it, we find big chunks of ice-like material, which is called, 'Methane Hydrate.' Huge amount of this form of latticelike substance are found underlying our oceans and glaciers.

They are made from water and methane and are formed under high pressure. It was said that if we can transform them into energy, we will have supplies that will last us hundreds and thousands of years. There weren't a lot of studies that were performed on this substance, due to its gaseous properties. However, we do know that if we are able to pressurized them to a stable gaseous form, we are then able to use them as a natural resource.

So far, no dice. Why? because of numerous reasons, from temperature to pressure to tectonic activity, they can not be properly obtain and make it cost-effective to be used as a resource. However, don't lose hope! A lot of countries are beginning to perform more profound research on making methane hydrate as an alternative energy resource. So perhaps, within the near future, we will see more technology and development on harvesting this resource.

So, after all these explanation, why does methane matter in the role of greening the earth? Well, there is CNG. CNG stands for compressed natural gas. It is stored in a pressurized tank and is made up of mainly methane. Although it still produces greenhouse gases, it is much safer in the event of a spill or leakage. Anyway, what is relevant is that most european and asiatic countries are using CNG in their vehicle, which emits much less tailpipe pollution.

(official logo for CNG)

Now comes my main point: why aren't we harvesting methane from CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operation?) Think about it! Until then....