https://phys.org/news/2017-05-china-japa...floor.html

Quote:Commercial development of the globe's huge reserves of a frozen fossil fuel known as "combustible ice" has moved closer to reality after Japan and China successfully extracted the material from the seafloor off their coastlines.

But experts said Friday that large-scale production remains many years away—and if not done properly could flood the atmosphere with climate-changing greenhouse gases.

Combustible ice is a frozen mixture of water and concentrated natural gas. Technically known as methane hydrate, it can be lit on fire in its frozen state and is believed to comprise one of the world's most abundant fossil fuels.

...

For Japan, methane hydrate offers the chance to reduce its heavy reliance of imported fuels if it can tap into reserves off its coastline. In China, it could serve as a cleaner substitute for coal-burning power plants and steel factories that have polluted much of the country with lung-damaging smog.

...

Estimates of worldwide reserves range from 280 trillion cubic meters (10,000 trillion cubic feet) up to 2,800 trillion cubic meters (100,000 trillion cubic feet), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. By comparison, total worldwide production of natural gas was 3.5 billion cubic meters (124 billion cubic feet) in 2015, the most recent year available.

While it seems like obviously great thing -- as is anything that completely kills the mining and burning of coal -- great care has to be taken to minimize the amount of methane that leaks out of the processes, into the atmosphere.

Or you just wont have to drive to a farm to get that smell.

(05-20-2017 12:32 PM)Paul M Wrote:  Or you just wont have to drive to a farm to get that smell.

Methane is odorless.

Sulfur is what makes poops and farts smell like, well, poops and farts.

I'll give up on my comedy career since it doesn't seem to be getting off the ground.

Sure - but just want to make that point clear, since you brought it up in a completely non-sarcastic way with no emoticons.

Yeah, my sarcasm is broken too.




Now, did any of that help in the slightest.

Glad you know how to use them