Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are researching ways to use methane as a clean energy source by capturing the CO2 byproduct in an ice-like state. The researchers are using SNAP to look at the molecular level relationship between methane and water to better understand how hydrocarbons are taken up and released in the environment.
Imagine a robot sent out on the prowl on this energy hungry planet looking for methane, the principal component of what we call “natural gas” and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth.
Our robot would find this energy source in shale deposits, notably here on the east coast of the United States. However, the most abundant deposits of natural gas are under water on the continental shelves and in the permafrost in the Arctic region. At both poles, methane mixes with water and freezes, remaining trapped as an ice-like compound, for millions of years.
