One way to decarbonise natural
gas is to find ways to produce methane from renewable resources, such as
biomass or natural waste. The resulting fuel is typically biogas (a mixture of
methane and other gases) or biomethane (resulting from the separation of
methane from the other biogas components).
Another way to decarbonise is to
replace the natural gas with a sustainably produced non-methane one. Hydrogen
produced via water electrolysis with the help of electricity from renewable
resources is an example.
A third way is capturing the
carbon contained in the natural gas, either before its use (pre-combustion, for
example by converting it in a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide destined
for storage) or post-combustion, for instance by capturing the carbon dioxide
and placing it in long-term geological storage.
There are other possible ways and
means to decarbonise gas apart from the examples above. Methane emissions can
be eradicated or minimised by applying a host of common sense practices, such
as preventing venting during the exploration and production of natural gas,
prohibiting flaring (especially when natural gas is produced as “associated
gas” along with liquid hydrocarbons), avoiding fugitive emissions from valves
and compressor stations, and making sure that burning is not incomplete.
Many
of these “common sense” approaches apply not only to natural gas, but also to
methane-containing decarbonised gases.
It is therefore important to develop and deploy the relevant regulatory
tools and methods for all methane-containing gases, decarbonised or not.
