Micah, Divyan, Gabriela

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Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas, responsible for 20-30% of climate change. Methane is also the most potent (being 80 times more potent over 20 years), and will cost the government around 10B$ per year.

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Super emitters are events in which over 100KG of methane is lost every hour. This is one of the most significant contributors to the methane problem (however this stat isn't quantified). The US has had 155 of these emission events, with the largest one releasing 122KG per hour, for 13 days (312 hours, 38064kg)

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Methane Leaks Have Serious Environmental and Economic Downsides

Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. It's responsible for 20–30% of climate change since the Industrial Revolution. Methane has a shorter atmospheric lifetime than carbon dioxide, but it's 28 times more potent over 100 years and 80 times more potent over 20 years. Methane leaks cost the government about $10B every year. More than 5 Mt of methane emissions have been detected from major fossil fuel leaks around the world.

Super emitters, or mass events that release a lot of methane (over 100 KG every hour), contribute to climate change.

The US has been in the top three for the number of super emitter events since 2022, with a whopping 155 emission events.

Why Do Super-Emitters Happen?

Some root causes for this problem are:

• The need for better monitoring tools for methane: Methane is a colourless, odourless gas that is difficult to measure on the ground. We can only tell if a methane leak has happened once a lot of it has already escaped.
• Methane leaks happen for days: While super emitters are large in scale, the effects they cause are because they go unnoticed for several days, only discovered after they have caused serious effects

Current Methods for Methane Detection

General methods

• Satellites: satellites can be used to measure methane levels in the air. However, with satellites, the resolution
• Drones and aerial surveys: sent out to collect air samples and detect the levels of methane present. This can help tell if a methane leak is occurring, but still is unable to find the exact source.

Patents

• Methane Gas Sensor (US Patent 11,112,384): This patent describes a sensor utilizing dual quartz tuning forks—one exposed to the environment and the other isolated. By comparing their vibration frequencies, the system detects methane presence. The limitation is that they are designed for stationary use, and in oil/gas operations will require a large interconnected network of sensors, which is incredibly costly.

Justia Patents