Futuristic Fuel empowering Japan
Japan has made new strides in searching for new Eco friendly green fuels to empower itself. This latest programme is one that cannot be termed Eco friendly but it will put the need for using fossil fuels on a large scale to rest. Scientists in Japan have discovered huge caches of combustible ice just off its southwest coast. This fiery ice if used as an energy source could lay the ghosts of the Fukushima nuclear plant to rest. This initiative was taken up by the Japanese government in 2011 after the disaster at the Nuclear plant.
This Futuristic Fuel empowering Japan is below the water. Some 1300 meters deep in the ocean lies ice which is frozen Methane. This methane in the water or Methane Hydrates as it is called is solid due to the low temperatures and high pressure in its vents below the water.
The Chemical structure of the methane gas when used after processing gives it the potential to be 164 times the volume of natural Gas.If tapped this would work out to be a big energy source.
Large amounts of similar gas has been found to be trapped beneath the Arctic ocean floor called Permafrost. There has been concern by scientists who predict that large scale warming of the atmosphere has caused this permafrost to melt and as the melting increases poisonous Methane gas will release into the atmosphere causing double the harm than that caused from CO2.
However, if like Japan which has invested millions to fund research for extraction of Methane Hydrates, other nations would do the same then we would have enough energy to last us for a century. Meanwhile Japan continues to dig further. This month a team of scientists will drill 300 metres below the seabed. Their aim is to extract the Methane and start commercial production by 2018.
But there are problems galore and as scientists face technical and environmental challenges one thing is certain that digging deep under high pressure conditions will not go unchecked. Safety is a big issue as is uncontrolled gas leaks and landslides. Undersea earthquakes are also a big risk factor.
Because the experiment is in the testing stage , scientists will have to carefully monitor the ocean floor .Lucia van Geuns, an energy analyst at the international energy programme of the Clingendael Institute says, “Methane hydrates could make Japan energy independent” .
Nevertheless, the fact remains that the planet holds huge reserves of Methane gas in the form of Hydrates and these are sufficient to power all nations. The US, China, Canada and South Korea are among other countries now exploring the mining of methane hydrates from their own sea beds. More experiments and initiatives have to be taken up to explore the potential of these Hydrates. http://greenfuture-tech.com
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