The Problem:
Methane from inland waters contributes half of total (natural & anthropogenic) emissions. Sources include biomethane plants, wastewaters, reservoirs (hydroelectric and other), wetlands, rice paddies and aquacultures. This equates to 3bnT CO2e annually. This contributes to the greenhouse effect and represents a loss of an energy-rich resource. Our team tackles this global challenge by developing a technology to capture methane from water, then convert it into new source of green energy.The Solution:
Our solution is simple yet beautiful. We use a gravitation-driven spillway to extract methane from water/wastewater streams under gently pressurised conditions. We direct extracted gas into an upgrading filter to remove CO2 and other impurities. Recovered methane can be used for energy production. Our system is versatile, adaptable to any type of methane-rich waters with the plan to create a network of biomethane recovery stations throughout wastewater, hydropower, & aquaculture industries.The Differentiator:
Our system doesn’t require chemicals/additives, thus operates without generating waste or disturbing ongoing processes. That’s because we remove the most methane using minimal energy. As there are no chemicals, heat, or membranes, our technology holds the potential to be scaled to address the global methane crisis and provides plausible mean to freshwater/wastewater methane-to-energy network.Biggest Achievement:
In 2022, we identified a critical gap: IPCC methane budget excluded methane emissions from reservoirs due to insufficient data. Realising the need for action, we initiated an innovative project with largest reservoir trade organisation (IHA) & UNESCO chair for reservoir emissions modelling UQAM to establish the first ever centralised reservoir methane monitoring project. Bluemethane secured $250k from Global Methane Hub to monitor 20 reservoirs globally and rallied interest from >100 reservoirs.
