Its already more than a year since countries like Japan and China started to study this new interesting part of nature, Methane Hydrate, that if didn’t use correctly may also destroy the nature itself.
Methane Hydrate (also known as Fire Ice, Methane Clathrate, Hydromethane, Methane Ice, Natural Gas Hydrate and Gas Hydrate) is a crystalline solid that consists of a methane molecule surrounded by a cage of interlocking water molecules.
Water molecules (1 red oxygen and 2 white hydrogens) form a pentagonal dodecahedron around a methane molecule (1 gray carbon and 4 green hydrogens) (pic credit to: https://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/)
So, why do big countries making an effort to study this thing?
According to Geology.com, as natural gas from shale becomes a global energy “game changer”, oil and gas researchers are working to develop new technologies to produce natural gas from methane hydrates deposits. This research is important because methane hydrate deposits are believed to be a larger hydrocarbon resource than all of the world’s oil, natural gas and coal resources combined.
It also said, from Jesse Jenkins article posted in scientificamerican blog, that Methane Hydrates could once again reshape global gas market by converting it to fossil fuel.
Oh. It can help us in the future. If we can develop more resources in fossil fuel, I guess, the price for this product will starts to lower too, right?
But here’s the big deal too.
Methane Hydrates contain more carbon than other world’s resources for fossil fuel according to USGS(United States Geological Survey). If we say carbon, yes, climate change.
pic creadit to earth-chonicles.ru
According also to MH21, Methane Hydrate is not that easy to study because of the environment where it can only exist.
We live in an environment where the pressure is 1 atmosphere and water freezes at 0°C. Under a pressure of 1 atmosphere, methane hydrate can exist only in a low temperature of -80°C or below. When the temperature is 0°C, it can exist only under a high pressure of 23 atmosphere or above. Low temperature and high pressure. Methane hydrate require a “Low temperature and High pressure” environment in order to exist.
Goodluck to those researcher and scientists involve with this one.
Updated part:
Want to know why it was called fire ice? See the video below.
See? It was indeed flammable ice… A really fire ice!!!
Author’s note: If they can know how to convert this thing to fossil fuel, I guess they can also know how they can use this without harming our Mother Nature or at least lessen the effect? hmmm.
***As always, if you have comments and suggestion about my post, feel free to send it to me. I don’t know everything so I might have some mistakes too. Let’s learn together!
