Methane Emissions

Methane (CH4) emissions arise from a variety of sources including coal mines, anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of waste in landfills, incomplete fossil fuel combustion, the treatment of waste water and certain industrial processes.

Methane emissions - A global challenge

  • Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO2)
  • Methane remains present in the atmosphere for approximately 9 to 15 years
  • Research indicates that methane is now more abundant in the Earth's atmosphere than at any time during the past 400,000 years
  • Methane is highly flammable and may form explosive mixtures when in contact with air.

The prevention or utilisation of methane emissions can provide significant economic and environmental benefits as well as producing green energy.


Green Gas - Reducing emissions in a comercially viable way

Green Gas, as a company specialising in developing, investing in, and operating methane energy projects, is already reducing methane emissions from coal mine and landfill methane projects it has installed and operates.

Projects realised by Green Gas currently reduce over 10 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions each year and Green Gas plans on increasing this to well over 20 million tons by 2012. Put in perspective 20 million tons of CO2 reductions have the same benefit at reducing greenhouse gas emissions as planting over 6 million acres of trees, or reducing all CO2 emissions from heating about one million homes, or removing five million cars from the world's roads.

© Green Gas International BV 2010