Ice the green fuel...
Ice as green fuel
According to new U.S. researches, it is possible to
gain green fuel from ice. This has been written in the New Scientist.
The research focuses on what is called methane-ice. It looks like ice or snow, but it contains methane. The ocean bottom preserves it in large quantities. The stock of methane is at least twice as large as the global reserve of fossile fuels.
Previous attempts to harvest the methane failed each time. The problem is that carbon dioxide releases during combustion and therefore it is worse for climate change. But according to new research, there is another CO 2-neutral way to release the methane.
Alaska
The U.S. Department of Energy is now testing together with oil company Conoco Phillips in Alaska whether the technology can be applied on a larger scale.
Countries like the U.S., Canada and Japan are doing more and more research into this potential source of energy. "It is becoming more and more a reality, and even some have taken it very seriously," says Ray Boswell of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, part of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Posted on 17/04/2009 16:52:00 By the editorial, last modification on 10/06/2009 18:36:00
