(290a) Atmospheric Methane Removal: a National Academies Research Agenda

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas behind carbon dioxide contributing to human-driven warming. Large reductions in methane emissions are needed to limit end-of-century warming; however, global methane emissions continue to rise.

The urgency to limit warming in the near- and long-term, and potential barriers in technologies, policies, and investments needed to reduce methane emissions at the scale required, have motivated researchers to begin exploring the nascent concept of atmospheric methane removal. There are a small number of peer reviewed publications on the topic, reflecting limited investments in research funding to date. At this critical moment for resource investment and decision making around climate action, an authoritative study on the state of knowledge of atmospheric methane removal was requested from the National Academies.

Atmospheric methane removal encompasses a range of technological approaches to either physically remove and store atmospheric methane or accelerate the conversion of methane in the atmosphere to a less radiatively potent form. Five key technological approaches for atmospheric methane removal include: methane reactors and methane concentrators (both partially closed systems), and surface treatments, ecosystem uptake enhancement, and atmospheric oxidation enhancement (open systems lacking a physical boundary). The Committee assessed these five technology categories against a set of criteria developed as meaningful indicators of each technology’s advancement towards a pathway for methane removal at atmospheric concentrations and to assess key research needs. This committee also considers the state of foundational knowledge along social and policy dimensions which affects the development and acceptance of research on atmospheric methane removal among different publics.

This presentation provides an overview of the research agenda on atmospheric created by the National Academies, highlighting priority areas for future research and action particularly relevant to the AIChE community.