Methane Hydrates as a Future Energy Prospective and Possible

Threats to Global Climate: A Review

*
Vijay Sodhi 1 , Rajesh Kumar Sharma 2 and Vipan Kumar 3
1,3
Department of Chemical and Biotechnology Engineering
Beant College of Engineering and Technology, Gurdaspur, Punjab 143521 , INDIA
2
Department of Chemical Engineering
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar 144011, INDIA

Abstract
Gas hydrates are crystalline solids that form from
mixtures of water and light natural gases such as methane,
carbon dioxide, ethane, propane and butane.
Methanogenesis bacterial excretions and its methane
trapping ability are generally responsible for its gigatonic
availability on sea-shores. Methane hydrates is of
adequate interest for their potential as an energy resource
and for their potential role in global climate change. From
an energy resource point of view, the enormous amounts
of methane hydrate under the ocean beds and beneath
arctic permafrost represent an estimated three times of all
estimated fossil fuel (coal, oil, natural gas) reserves on
earth, about 10,000 gigatons which can supply our all
kinds of energy needs for next 3000 years. Researches
show its presence from ranges 20 - 2000 m below the sea
beds. The difficulty with recovering this source of energy
is that the fuel is in solid form and is not amenable to
conventional gas and oil recovery techniques as well as
drilling hazards. India along with China, Japan and
Mexico, are the few nations that have launched projects
for the exploration of fuel resource methane hydrate.
Besides these, the global climate change related to
possible methane emission due to such activities is
another alarming issue.
Key Words: Methane hydrates, Energy source, Global
climate
* Corresponding Author:
E-mail: vijaysodhi10@gmail.com
Contact No: +91-9888035540, +91-181-2491877
1. Definition
Gas hydrates are also known as gas clathrates, are
naturally occurring comprises of natural gases such as
methane, carbon dioxide, ethane, propane and butane. Its
lattice structure containing a molecule of methane along
with crystallized water molecules in isometric
crystallographic systems (Figure 1). One 1 m3 of methane
hydrate can contains up to 164 m3 of methane gas at
standard conditions. Thus gas quantity in any gas
reservoir is more than per unit volume than contained as
in free gas in the space (Hunt, 1979). This means gas
hydrates are of adequate interest in the future energy
resources and in global climate change
2. Introduction
Methane gas in the form of ‘coal bed methane’ and
‘hydrate’, probably the last remaining hydrocarbon, is
waiting to be exploited as an alternative source of energy.
Coal plays the role of source rock as well as reservoir for
coal bed methane, also known as burning ice (Figure 2).
Hydrate is a unique chemical compound of methane and
water found in deeper sections of ocean floor sediments.
Methane hydrates are solids composed of rigid cages of
water molecules that enclose methane. Sediment
containing methane hydrates is found within specific
pressure-temperature conditions that occur in regions of
permafrost and beneath the sea in outer continental
margins.
Methane hydrates are globally widespread in
permafrost regions in sea sediment of worldwide
continental ocean beds. The amount of methane
sequestered in gas hydrates is probably enormous and
range over triple times more than any possible fossil
energy sources on earth. Studies estimates of the hydrate
beds project exist more than 400 million trillion cubic
feet. This dwarfs the estimates for natural gas which is
only 5000 trillion cubic feet.
Around 1969, gas hydrate deposits were first
discovered in Russia (Siberian gas fields). As a result,
interest in methane from sea floor began. Natural
occurrence of methane hydrate was noticed in other
regions of oceanic and terrestrial environments by the
1970s. The encouraging results from discoveries at Blake
Ridge (USA) opened up new vistas to consider gas
hydrates as a potential source of energy for the future.
Currently, countries like Mexico, Japan and India have
launched national projects for the exploration of methane
hydrate, the most abundant carbon fuel resource.
Figure 1: Lattice structure of gas hydrate molecule
(De Archor, 2007)
The estimated amount of organic carbon in the
methane-hydrate reservoir greatly exceeds that in many
other reservoirs of the global carbon cycle — for example,
the atmosphere( 3.6 Gigatonns), terrestrial biota (830 Gt),
terrestrial soil, detritus and peat (1960 Gt); marine biota
(3 Gt); and marine dissolved materials (980 Gt). In fact,
the amount of carbon may exceed that in all fossil fuel
deposits (5.103 Gt). In comparison to this, the overall
estimated carbon constituents of gas hydrate alone is
10,000 Gt. Because these gas hydrates contain so much
methane and occur in the shallow geosphere, they are of
serious interest as a potential resource of natural gas and
as a possible source of atmospheric methane released by
to increase global warming.
Figure 2: Methane hydrate also known as "burning ice
The phase boundary information (Figure 3) suggests
that the upper depth limit for methane hydrate is about
150 meters in continental polar regions, where surface
temperature is 0° C. Likewise, in oceanic sediments, gas
hydrates occur where the bottom temperature of the
surface is less than 0° C and water depth exceeds 300
meters. The global wise occurrence of methane hydrate is
expected more than 2000 m below the solid surface. This
occurrence of gas hydrate is restricted to shallow
geosphere (Sloan, 1990). However methane solubility in
sea water is very low, about 0.045 volumes of methane at
standard conditions per volume of water (Yomamoto et.
al. 1976). Thus the amount of methane required for gas
hydrates greatly exceeds the solubility of methane in
water. This requirement for a source of enormous amounts
of methane for gas hydrate formation limits the regions on
earth where gas hydrates can be expected and found
(Kvenvolden, 1993).
Figure 3: Phase diagram showing boundary between free
methane and methane hydrate for pure water and
pure methane system (Kvenvolden, 2003)
2.1 Biogenic Methane and Bacteriology
Biogenic methane is produced at low temperatures by
the action of micro-organisms on rapidly buried organic
matter at the ocean bottom sediments. Evidently, the most
significant factor controlling methane hydrate
accumulation appears to be the rate of sedimentation.
Areas of rapid hemipelagic times are favorable to
accumulate considerable amounts of organic detritus and
preserve them from oxidation by rapid burial at the sea released in the 21st century is probably small. The
floor so that it is converted into abundant methane by the positive feedback of this atmospheric methane on global
bacteria within the sediments. climates will likely be minimal.
Methanogenesis, i.e. methane formation only begins
on the onset of complete anoxic conditions as the 4. Indian Energy Prospective
methane-producing bacteria are strict anaerobes and are
inactive even in the presence of traces of oxygen. In No Methane Hydrate energy production is being
marine environments, methane in excess is generated by conducted at the moment in India. Right now, only the
carbonate reduction in a complete sulphate-deficient resource estimation and delineation of prospective areas
condition. Methane generated in large amounts by the for methane hydrate has been done there. However, India
reduction of carbon dioxide, remains as solution in along with Japan and Mexico, are the few nations that
interstitial pore water because of its high solubility at high have launched projects for the exploration of fuel resource
hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of the overlying methane hydrate, which is now considered the most
water column. It exudes as free gas from interstitial pore abundant carbon, with reserves that could hold more fossil
water either on supersaturation or by the release of fuel energy than all the oil, gas and coal deposits in the
hydrostatic pressure. An appropriate econo-technology for world.
production of methane from hydrate is yet to be The prospect for coal bed methane is mainly related to
developed. Discovered since the 1970s, hydrates are still the coal resources of the country. India has huge
in embryonic stage of research and development. Gondwana (mainly Permian, 99.5%) and Tertiary (Eocene
and Oligocene) coal deposits distributed in several basins
3. Possible Impacts to Global Climate located in peninsular and extra-peninsular regions. About
204 billion tons of coal reserves have been established
Present amount of methane hydrate having energy and approximately 200 million tons or so are likely to be
density (volume of methane at standard conditions per added in the near future by further explorations(Figure 4).
volume of rock) is 10 times greater than the energy The main Gondwana coal basins are rifted intra-cratonic
density of other unconventional sources of gas, coal etc. grabens having thick sequence of coal seams, and hold
and 4-5 times greater than the energy density of natural considerable prospects for coal bed methane. A survey
gas. (Mc Donald 1999). carried out by DGH in the East Coast and Andaman
Because the methane is radiatevely active, it is a Deepwater areas in 1997 detected the most promising
greenhouse gas that has a global warming potential 20 areas for Gas Hydrates. Trends assumed the total gas
times larger than an equivalent weight of CO2 when resource from the gas hydrates in the country is placed at
integrated over a 100 year period of time (Shine et. al. 1894 trillion cubic meters.
1990). The amount of methane trapped in in gas hydreates
is perhaps 3,000 times of the amount of C02 in the
atmosphere that effect global climate. Meanwhile, onshore
increasing air temperature destabilizes continental gas
hydrates at time scales of hundreds to thousand of years,
releasing methane that may reach atmosphere. Deepwater
temperature also increasing during global warming but not
significantly. The effects on hydrate stability caused by
increasing sea level were almost negligible but with the
heavy increase in sea bed temperature/pressure could
change into drastic climate change conditions.
A question of current interest concerns the possible
consequences of an addition of methane to the atmosphere
from destabilized methane hydrates due to global
warming. Models of greenhouse warming predict that
climatic change will be greatest in the Arctic. Thus, if
methane from destabilized gas hydrates contributes to
greenhouse warming, this destabilization will most likely
take place first in the Arctic, particularly in the shallow
nearshore regions of the Arctic Ocean where offshore Figure 4: Representation of Countrywide estimates of coal bed
methane and sea bed methane hydrates.
permafrost is found. The process of permafrost warming
and release of methane from gas hydrates may already be
in progress, but the amount being released now and to be 5. Primary Obstacles to Goal
 [6] Kvenvolden, K. A., G. D. Ginsburg, and V. A. Solovyev,
There are not many wells being drilled for extracting Worldwide distribution of subquatic gas hydrates, Geo Mar.
methane hydrate. As there are not many wells drilled for Lett., 1993.
methane extraction, its extremely difficult to assess the [7] Kvenvolden, K. A., Claypool, C. N. Threkeld and E. D.
Sloan, Geochemistry of a naturally occurring massive marine
true amount of methane hydrate deposits. gas hydrates, Org. Gheochem., 6, 703-713, 2003.
Given the stability conditions of methane hydrate, it is [8] MacDonald, G. T., Role of methane clathrates in past and
clear that it is only present at depths of up to 280 m below future climates, Clim. Change, 16, 247-281, 1999b.
the seafloor in water depth of 1,000 m, or at depths of up [9] Miller, S. L., in Natural Gases in Marine Sediments (ed.
to 570 m below the seafloor in water depth of 4,000 m. Kaplan, L. R.), Plenum Press, New York, 1974, pp. 151–177.
This makes it very difficult to extract and develop [10] Molver, R. D., in Natural Gases in Marine Sediments (ed.
methane hydrates close to seafloor. When temperature Kaplan, L. R.), Plenum Press, New York, 1974, pp. 63–69.
increases methane hydrates disassociates into methane and [11] Rao, K. L. N., International Symposium on Coal Bed
Methane, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1997, Paper no. 9774.
water. Though this reaction is very important in methane
[12] Sloan, E. D., Clatharte Hydrates of Natural Gas, 641 pp.,
hydrate production this must be avoided during drilling as Marcel Dekker, New York, 1990.
the gas might invade into the well. [13] Stach, E., Mackowsky, M.-Th., Teichmuller, M., Taylor, G.
H., Chandra, D. and Teichmuller, R., Coal Petrology,
6. Conclusions Borntraeger, Stuttgart, 1982, 3rd edition, p. 535.
[14] Tang, Y., Jendon, P. D. and Teeman, B. C., in Organic
Methane, the second most significant greenhouse gas Geochemistry Advances and Applications in the Natural
Environment (ed. Manning, D. A. C.), Manchester University
after carbon dioxide (CO2) is mainly responsible for
Press, 1991, pp. 329–331.
ozone holes and global warming; traps atmospheric heat [15] Yamamoto, S., J. B. Alacaukas, and T. E. Crozier,
approximately 24-times more than carbon dioxide. Thus, Ssolubilty of methane in distilled and sea water, J. Chem. Eng.
conversion of the most hazardous gas methane into a Data, 21, 78-80, 1976.
commercial energy resource, besides solving the world’s
energy problem for the coming century, will be
advantageous in many other ways as mentioned below.
The hazards involved in the exploitation of the hydrate
deposits require development of suitable methods.
Consumption of methane, which has the highest heat
retaining capacity and the lowest atmospheric life-time
span (about 10 years), will mitigate the global warming at
a much faster rate. Consequently, methane hydrate – our
future powerhouse – adversely affected by global
warming, will be saved. These vast energy reserves can be
saved by selective utilization of coal. At present, India too
has all the scientific and engineering skills required for the
production of methane from coal bed and sea beds. There
are substantial unconventional energy resources, but their
exploration and economic exploitation from inaccessible
areas are great challenges.

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