Methane

Humans might not be the first lifeforms to face self-induced climate change. A new model suggests Mars was once habitable enough to support microbes, and they may have wiped themselves out by causing irreparable damage to the Red Planet’s atmosphere.

The global oil industry wastefully burns off about as much natural gas as is used by all of Central and South America – but a new methane binding agent offers a potential way for this greenhouse gas to be converted economically into liquid fuels.

Scientists have developed an efficient new way to convert methane into methanol at room temperature. The technique could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a cleaner way to make key products.

Carbon dioxide may hog headlines as a climate change villain, but methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas. MIT has now demonstrated a new way to remove methane from the air, even at low concentrations, with a common clay used to make cat litter.

New Stanford-led research has painted a picture of how focusing efforts on methane removal could help limit dangerous temperature rise from climate change, while also preventing tens of thousands of premature deaths relating to poor air quality.

Blue hydrogen isn't a step forward for the climate, says a new report out of Cornell and Stanford Universities. Indeed, it's worse than simply burning gas or coal in many applications – so it's not an acceptable transition phase in the race to zero.

Scientists have found a way to convert methane into methanol at room temperature. Using a common crystal as a catalyst, the technique could eventually reduce methane escaping into the atmosphere by turning it into a useful liquid fuel instead.

Something is making methane on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. A new study has found that methane levels detected from the icy moon are far higher than can be explained by known geochemical processes – but they are consistent with microbes.

Cattle are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to their methane-loaded burps. A detailed new study has found more evidence that feeding cows a small seaweed supplement can greatly reduce their methane emissions.

Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have found a catalyst that allows the methane in natural gas to be converted into methanol at room temperature, providing a far less energy-intensive option than current solutions.

Engineers at Penn State University have developed a new type of flexible cement they say can be used to contain methane leaks, by being fed into the the very fine gaps around deteriorating gas wells that traditional cements are unable to fill.

New analysis has revealed that emissions of methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas, have now hit record highs, with the surge being driven in large part by increases in the burning of fossil fuels and increasing agricultural activity.