To combat methane in the atmosphere, Dr. Faruque Hasan and other experts have lined out an extensive report that lays out the future research agenda.
In early 2023, Hasan was appointed to a national committee on “Atmospheric Methane Removal: Development of a Research Agenda," formed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Committee members come from different areas and include experts in engineering science, social science, economics, industry and academia.
According to Hasan, the committee’s overall goal was exploring different possibilities and technological pathways for atmospheric methane removal. The idea was to bring experts together to identify the challenges and opportunities of different options for removing methane from the atmosphere.
The report, A Research Agenda Toward Atmospheric Methane Removal, looks at ways we can reduce where the emissions stem from and what is already emitted into the atmosphere.
Hasan explained that in the atmosphere, there is a very small amount of methane, about two parts per million. That means for every 1 million molecules you take, only two of them are methane.
Although methane is considered as the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, it is eighty times more potent than carbon dioxide in its first twenty years in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
“Although methane is considered as the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, it is eighty times more potent than carbon dioxide in its first twenty years in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming,” Hasan said. “There is an increasing concern that we are having more methane in the atmosphere from anthropogenic activities and leaks, as well as from natural sources.”
One of the committee’s recommendations is to increase research on different ways of methane removal. These could include both semi-closed systems and open systems. The report also emphasizes the need for increased measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of methane in the atmosphere.
The committee also examined and assessed current pathways and challenges related to technologies for methane removal.
These technologies include semi-closed systems like methane reactors and concentrators.
“We need to develop new materials and synergistic process integration techniques to improve the performance of these technologies,” Hasan said. “Removing methane at a two ppm level is a very challenging technological problem. We may not be able to get two ppm immediately, but maybe we can now handle more concentrated systems.”
Because of the effects methane has on the ecosystem, the committee proposed an ecosystem uptake enhancement, which would research limits on atmospheric uptake and its impacts on ecosystems.
Additional suggestions by the committee include engagement to inform research and policy and incorporating social perspectives into decision-making.
The report identifies key research priorities to be addressed within the next three to five years. This will enable a more thorough second-phase assessment of the technical, economic, and social viability of methane removal technologies.
“This report addresses a very important global problem, so it is humbling to say that I was a part of this report towards making an impact,” Hasan said.