Study points to lake methane as energy source of the future
Switzerland, and its many reservoirs, might be an energy goldmine-in-waiting. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
Lakes, the source of 20% of global natural methane emissions, could also be the source of much of the world’s energy, if treated correctly, Swiss researchers have argued.
This content was published on April 4, 2021 - 18:23
April 4, 2021 - 18:23
Keystone-SDA/dos
In a paper published this week, researchers from Basel and Zurich suggest a way to more efficiently extract the methane which develops naturally as biomass decays in lakes.
Methane, which is 25 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide, is mostly produced by the petroleum and agriculture industries. However, a fifth of all methane emissions are produced naturally in lakes. This “would in theory be enough to cover the entire world’s energy needs”, said University of Basel scientist Maciej Bartosiewicz.