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Sobanaa M, Prathiviraj R, Selvin J, Prathaban M. A comprehensive review on methane's dual role: effects in climate change and potential as a carbon-neutral energy source. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:10379-10394. [PMID: 37884720 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30601-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The unprecedented population and anthropogenic activity rise have challenged the future look up for shifts in global temperature and climate patterns. Anthropogenic activities such as land fillings, building dams, wetlands converting to lands, combustion of biomass, deforestation, mining, and the gas and coal industries have directly or indirectly increased catastrophic methane (CH4) emissions at an alarming rate. Methane is 25 times more potent trapping heat when compared to carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. A rise in atmospheric methane, on a 20-year time scale, has an impact of 80 times greater than that of CO2. With increased population growth, waste generation is rising and is predicted to reach 6 Mt by 2025. CH4 emitted from landfills is a significant source that accounts for 40% of overall global methane emissions. Various mitigation and emissions reduction strategies could significantly reduce the global CH4 burden at a cost comparable to the parallel and necessary CO2 reduction measures, reversing the CH4 burden to pathways that achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. CH4 mitigation directly benefits climate change, has collateral impacts on the economy, human health, and agriculture, and considerably supports CO2 mitigation. Utilizing the CO2 from the environment, methanogens produce methane and lower their carbon footprint. NGOs and the general public should act on time to overcome atmospheric methane emissions by utilizing the raw source for producing carbon-neutral fuel. However, more research potential is required for green energy production and to consider investigating the untapped potential of methanogens for dependable energy generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murugesan Sobanaa
- Department of Microbiology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | | | - Joseph Selvin
- Department of Microbiology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014, India
| | - Munisamy Prathaban
- Department of Microbiology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, 605014, India.
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Yang X, Li Z, Wang H, Yang P, Yu Y, Tian Z, Liu Y. Experimental Study on Compaction Deformation and Gas Permeability Properties for Crushed Limestone. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:2830-2840. [PMID: 38250399 PMCID: PMC10795142 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The mining goaf is enriched in coalbed methane (CBM) resources, and it is imperative to realize its efficient extraction. The gas permeability properties of the crushed coal and rock in the caved zone of mining goaf are the basis for the study of its internal CBM migration and enrichment law. In this study, the compaction deformation and gas permeability properties of crushed limestone with different particle sizes were revealed. The results show that (1) the deformation resistance capacity of the crushed limestone increased with increasing stress. The decreasing trend of porosity of samples with different particle sizes in the early and later compression periods is significantly different. Particle RR of the lower layer is smaller than that of the other layers. (2) The permeability of the sample decreases with decreasing porosity and nitrogen pressure, and it is between 10-12 and 10-10 m2. Nitrogen migration within the crushed limestone requires the pseudo-threshold pressure gradient, which ranges from 64.86 to 311.42 Pa/m. (3) The average permeability growth amplitude of the sample shows a logarithmic decreasing trend with the decrease of porosity. The average permeability growth amplitude of the 5-10 mm sample at the same porosity was 15.9-22.3 times that of the 0.315-0.63 mm sample. (4) The permeability of crushed limestone on both sides of the lower layer in the caved zone is much larger than that of other locations. The results are of great practical significance for accurately predicting the CBM enrichment area of mining goaf and then selecting the final position of the extraction drilling hole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Yang
- College
of Safety and Emergency Management Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Zhen Li
- College
of Safety and Emergency Management Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
- State
Key Laboratory of Green and Low-carbon Development of Tar-rich Coal
in Western China, Xi’an University
of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
| | - Hongwei Wang
- State
Key Laboratory of Green and Low-carbon Development of Tar-rich Coal
in Western China, Xi’an University
of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
| | - Peng Yang
- College
of Safety and Emergency Management Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Yirui Yu
- College
of Safety and Emergency Management Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Zhen Tian
- College
of Safety and Emergency Management Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Yiming Liu
- College
of Safety and Emergency Management Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
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Bai X, Huang D, Chen Y, Shao M, Wang N, Wang Q, Xu Q. Enhanced methane oxidation efficiency by digestate biochar in landfill cover soil: Microbial shifts and carbon metabolites insights. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 343:140279. [PMID: 37758092 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The ability of biochar to enhance the oxidation of methane (CH4) in landfill cover soil by promoting the growth and activity of methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) has attracted significant attention. However, the optimal characteristics of digestate-derived biochar (DBC) for promoting the MOB community and CH4 removal performance remain unclear. This study examined how the CH4 oxidation capacity and respiratory metabolism of MOB life process are affected by the application of DBC compared with the most commonly used woody-derived biochar (WBC). The addition of both WBC and DBC enhanced CH4 oxidation, with DBC exhibiting a nearly twofold increase in cumulative CH4 oxidation mass (7.14 mg CH4 g-1) compared to WBC. The high ion-exchange capacity of DBC was found to be more favorable for the growth of Type I MOB, which have more efficient metabolic pathways for CH4 oxidation. Type I MOB which are abundant in DBC may prefer monovalent positive ions, while the charge-rich nature of DBC may also have hindered extracellular protein aggregation. The superiority of DBC in terms of CH4 oxidation thus highlights the underlying mechanisms of biochar-MOB interactions, offering potential biochar options for landfill cover soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Bai
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Eco-efficient Recycled Materials, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
| | - Dandan Huang
- School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China
| | - Yuke Chen
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Eco-efficient Recycled Materials, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Mingshuai Shao
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Eco-efficient Recycled Materials, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Ning Wang
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Eco-efficient Recycled Materials, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Qian Wang
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Eco-efficient Recycled Materials, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Qiyong Xu
- Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Eco-efficient Recycled Materials, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
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Wetland emission and atmospheric sink changes explain methane growth in 2020. Nature 2022; 612:477-482. [PMID: 36517714 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05447-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Atmospheric methane growth reached an exceptionally high rate of 15.1 ± 0.4 parts per billion per year in 2020 despite a probable decrease in anthropogenic methane emissions during COVID-19 lockdowns1. Here we quantify changes in methane sources and in its atmospheric sink in 2020 compared with 2019. We find that, globally, total anthropogenic emissions decreased by 1.2 ± 0.1 teragrams of methane per year (Tg CH4 yr-1), fire emissions decreased by 6.5 ± 0.1 Tg CH4 yr-1 and wetland emissions increased by 6.0 ± 2.3 Tg CH4 yr-1. Tropospheric OH concentration decreased by 1.6 ± 0.2 per cent relative to 2019, mainly as a result of lower anthropogenic nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and associated lower free tropospheric ozone during pandemic lockdowns2. From atmospheric inversions, we also infer that global net emissions increased by 6.9 ± 2.1 Tg CH4 yr-1 in 2020 relative to 2019, and global methane removal from reaction with OH decreased by 7.5 ± 0.8 Tg CH4 yr-1. Therefore, we attribute the methane growth rate anomaly in 2020 relative to 2019 to lower OH sink (53 ± 10 per cent) and higher natural emissions (47 ± 16 per cent), mostly from wetlands. In line with previous findings3,4, our results imply that wetland methane emissions are sensitive to a warmer and wetter climate and could act as a positive feedback mechanism in the future. Our study also suggests that nitrogen oxide emission trends need to be taken into account when implementing the global anthropogenic methane emissions reduction pledge5.
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Role of space station instruments for improving tropical carbon flux estimates using atmospheric data. NPJ Microgravity 2022; 8:51. [PMID: 36404345 PMCID: PMC9676185 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-022-00231-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The tropics is the nexus for many of the remaining gaps in our knowledge of environmental science, including the carbon cycle and atmospheric chemistry, with dire consequences for our ability to describe the Earth system response to a warming world. Difficulties associated with accessibility, coordinated funding models and economic instabilities preclude the establishment of a dense pan-tropical ground-based atmospheric measurement network that would otherwise help to describe the evolving state of tropical ecosystems and the associated biosphere-atmosphere fluxes on decadal timescales. The growing number of relevant sensors aboard sun-synchronous polar orbiters provide invaluable information over the remote tropics, but a large fraction of the data collected along their orbits is from higher latitudes. The International Space Station (ISS), which is in a low-inclination, precessing orbit, has already demonstrated value as a proving ground for Earth observing atmospheric sensors and as a testbed for new technology. Because low-inclination orbits spend more time collecting data over the tropics, we argue that the ISS and its successors, offer key opportunities to host new Earth-observing atmospheric sensors that can lead to a step change in our understanding of tropical carbon fluxes.
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Li Q, Fernandez RP, Hossaini R, Iglesias-Suarez F, Cuevas CA, Apel EC, Kinnison DE, Lamarque JF, Saiz-Lopez A. Reactive halogens increase the global methane lifetime and radiative forcing in the 21st century. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2768. [PMID: 35589794 PMCID: PMC9120080 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30456-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
CH4 is the most abundant reactive greenhouse gas and a complete understanding of its atmospheric fate is needed to formulate mitigation policies. Current chemistry-climate models tend to underestimate the lifetime of CH4, suggesting uncertainties in its sources and sinks. Reactive halogens substantially perturb the budget of tropospheric OH, the main CH4 loss. However, such an effect of atmospheric halogens is not considered in existing climate projections of CH4 burden and radiative forcing. Here, we demonstrate that reactive halogen chemistry increases the global CH4 lifetime by 6-9% during the 21st century. This effect arises from significant halogen-mediated decrease, mainly by iodine and bromine, in OH-driven CH4 loss that surpasses the direct Cl-induced CH4 sink. This increase in CH4 lifetime helps to reduce the gap between models and observations and results in a greater burden and radiative forcing during this century. The increase in CH4 burden due to halogens (up to 700 Tg or 8% by 2100) is equivalent to the observed atmospheric CH4 growth during the last three to four decades. Notably, the halogen-driven enhancement in CH4 radiative forcing is 0.05 W/m2 at present and is projected to increase in the future (0.06 W/m2 by 2100); such enhancement equals ~10% of present-day CH4 radiative forcing and one-third of N2O radiative forcing, the third-largest well-mixed greenhouse gas. Both direct (Cl-driven) and indirect (via OH) impacts of halogens should be included in future CH4 projections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinyi Li
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Madrid, 28006, Spain.
| | - Rafael P Fernandez
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (ICB), National Research Council (CONICET), FCEN-UNCuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Ryan Hossaini
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Fernando Iglesias-Suarez
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Madrid, 28006, Spain.,Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
| | - Carlos A Cuevas
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Madrid, 28006, Spain
| | - Eric C Apel
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Douglas E Kinnison
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Jean-François Lamarque
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Madrid, 28006, Spain.
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