Powdered Methane Could Help Harness Energy Source

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Sept. 16, 2008 -- Most people know methane as a component of natural gas. But chemists in the U.K. have developed a way to create a solid form of the gas that looks like granulated sugar and can be stored and poured.

Methane could power the world. Two methane hydrate deposits off the coast of South Carolina reportedly hold enough natural gas to power the United States for a hundred years. Other estimates say that worldwide methane deposits contain more energy than coal, oil and all other fossil fuels combined.

"There is a huge amount of energy in these resources," said Cooper. "The question is how much of that material can we recover."....

how do you make methane into a powder? Ain't it just NH3?

Next thiing, they'll be saying they can run a car on water...

Methane cannot be turned into a powder like that by itself.

I can't think of any cheap and safe chemical that can glue methane
molecules together to make a powder, except water (as in methane hydrate).

Maybe some new form of carbon like buckyballs or graphene or nanotubes.

"....The tiny silica particles increase the surface area of the water and make it easier and faster for the methane gas to become absorbed by the water. After about 30 minutes the white powder was fully saturated with methane; one liter of methane gas can be stored in about six grams of powdered methane, roughly the same as in most pressurized containers.

The powdered methane still needs to be held under light pressure and cooler temperatures of about -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees F).

Releasing the methane simply requires raising the temperature or decreasing the pressure, said Cooper.

Powdered methane could just be the beginning. Cooper says that the team can store other gases as powders, including hydrogen and carbon dioxide, although under different environmental conditions. Storing CO2 as a powder could make carbon sequestration easier or bring a hydrogen-powered economy closer to realization......"