Researchers analyze the impact of methane and clarify how this technology can transform emissions into valuable resources, boosting global sustainability.
During COP 27, in November 2021, Chile expressed its commitment to begin reducing its methane emissions by 2025. Already in 2023, the Minister of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, announced the entry of a bill that allows taking charge of organic waste, as well as the country’s entry into the Global Methane Commitment and concluding the first agreement, with Switzerland, for the international transfer of emissions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
However, Chilean researchers and academics clarify that A crucial ally to fulfill this purpose is nothing more nor less than our solar potential, where Chile has a privileged position, being considered one of the countries with the highest solar radiation in the world.
For the researcher at the Solar Energy Research Center Chile (SERC Chile) and academic at the Federico Santa María Technical University (USM), Mario Toledo, explains that technological advances have allowed solar energy to play a crucial role in reducing emissions of this gas.
“Considering the high solar radiation in areas such as the Atacama Desert, this type of energy can help capture methane effectively. Photovoltaic solar energy has had notable development in the last decade in our country, and there are large methane emissions as a byproduct of agriculture, landfills, wastewater treatment and industrial processes. Recent research indicates that methane capture is possible through a photocatalytic process rich in boron, producing hydrogen and pure carbon as byproducts,” he points out.
Methane (CH4) is one of the main greenhouse gases, with a global warming potential 25 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 100-year horizon. Furthermore, lMethane emissions represent approximately 20% of global warming attributed to human activities, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).being responsible for 0.5°C of the 1.1°C of net warming of the planet.
Methane emissions increased by 39% in agricultural activity and 11% in the energy sector.
The Report on Strengthening NDCs in Chile from the Ministry of the Environment (2022) indicates that methane emissions in the country increased by 13%, where 48% corresponds to the waste area, 39% to agricultural activity and 11% to the energy sector.
In Chile, the commitment to renewable energy has led to the adoption of innovative solutions for waste management and the reduction of methane emissions.
Toledo points out that “it is difficult to compare methane capture potential and costs with other renewable energy sources because Research on photocatalytic processes was recently published in 2023. However, since it is a photocatalytic process, there would be no other renewable energy source that competes with our solar energy potential.”
Current biological or physicochemical systems consider the capture and valorization of biogas, composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide, for the production of renewable electrical energy. This transforms the captured methane back into useful energy.
The methane capture capacity in Chile will depend on several factors, including the solar radiation of the place and the use of the byproducts generated, like hydrogen and pure carbon. Methane emissions vary depending on the source, such as landfills, industrial processes, and other sources.
Although the capture of methane through photocatalytic processes is relatively new, there are currently companies in Chile dedicated to the management and disposal of waste with generation of electrical energy from biogasor the injection of biogas into natural gas networks.
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