Methane Gas Facts - Yenra

Methane Gas Facts

• Methane (CH4) is a colorless, odorless gas that is the simplest hydrocarbon compound
• It is the main component of natural gas used as fuel for heating, cooking, electricity generation
• Methane is released from the breakdown of organic matter in anerobic environments like wetlands, landfills, and the digestive tracts of animals
• It is a potent greenhouse gas with 28-36 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 100 year period
• Methane is flammable and can explode at concentrations between 5% to 15% when mixed with air
• Burning methane produces less CO2 for each unit of heat generated compared to other hydrocarbon fuels
• It is usually transported via pipeline in compressed form or on liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in cryogenic tanks

Methane Gas Glossary

Methane (CH₄)

A colorless, odorless, flammable gas that is the simplest alkane and the main component of natural gas.

Natural Gas

A fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane and other hydrocarbons, used as a source of energy and raw materials.

Greenhouse Gas

Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a high global warming potential.

Biogas

A mixture of gases, primarily composed of methane and carbon dioxide, produced by the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter.

Global Warming Potential (GWP)

A measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide over a specific time period.

Landfill Gas

A natural byproduct of the decomposition of organic material in landfills, predominantly composed of methane and carbon dioxide.

Anaerobic Digestion

A process by which microorganisms break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, often resulting in the production of biogas.

Methanogenesis

A form of anaerobic respiration used by certain microorganisms, in which carbon dioxide is reduced to methane.

Carbon Footprint

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent.

Methane Hydrate

A solid clathrate compound in which a large amount of methane is trapped within a crystal structure of water, forming a solid similar to ice.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 8, 2003, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman officially opened the federal government's first facility using methane gas, from a nearby landfill, to meet energy needs.

The project, at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md. is an innovative partnership among NASA, EPA, Maryland's Prince George's County, and Dallas-based Toro Energy, Inc. This project uses captured methane gas from a nearby landfill to heat the 31 buildings that dot the Center's 1,270-acre campus.

"Understanding and protecting our home planet is one of NASA's key missions," said Administrator O'Keefe. "NASA monitors and studies our planet from our unique vantage point in space, and our Earth Sciences Enterprise also looks for ways to improve the quality of life on Earth. This project directly benefits the Earth by removing a significant amount of methane, a greenhouse gas, from the environment. We use this energy, virtually pollution- free, for power. Hopefully, projects like these will demonstrate the clean, efficient, cost effective use of renewable sources of energy," Administrator O'Keefe concluded.

"It is very encouraging that a large federal institution like NASA is using a local landfill as a source of renewable energy," said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. "This project at Goddard Space Flight Center demonstrates how the federal government can lead the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and utilizing alternative energy sources. These efforts should be applauded."

Using the methane process at GSFC eliminates the equivalent of the pollution generated annually by thousands of automobiles. In addition to the environmental benefits, NASA will save more than $3.5 million over the next decade in energy costs. It also puts NASA in the forefront of meeting a Presidential Executive Order, which encourages agencies to increase the use of biomass as a fuel source, which in turn reduces dependency on foreign oil.

The effort began two years ago, when Toro contacted GSFC with a proposal to reduce energy use without increasing operating expenses in an environmentally sound manner. Toro was selected to deliver landfill gas, produced at the Prince George's County, Sandy Hill Landfill, Bowie, Md.

Toro modified two boilers in the GSFC central heating plant, constructed a five-mile long pipeline to transport the gas, and built a gas-treatment facility at Sandy Hill. The landfill gas provides 100 percent of GSFC heating needs 95 percent of the time.