Researchers at Northwestern University set up to study the mechanisms that allow methanotrophic bacteria to consume 30 million metric tons of methane per year and their natural ability to convert the potent greenhouse gas into usable fuel. Their goal is to use this information for the development of human-made biological catalysts that convert methane gas into methanol.
Methane is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and it is a major product of coal mining and oil extraction. At present, coal mines release 52.3 million tonnes of methane per year, while oil fields emit 39 million tonnes per year. Mining operations for all commodities combined release the equivalent of 4.32 billion tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere est-onnesdwto thuk/news/" class="elementor-item">News