In situ methane hydrate dissociation with carbon dioxide sequestration: Current knowledge and issues

There are large resources of methane gas as hydrates in permafrost and deep-sea sediments around the world. On the other hand, the emissions of carbon dioxide into atmosphere have gone up in the last hundred years. The emitted carbon dioxide can be sequestered as hydrate while helping dissociate the in situ methane hydrates. Such approach can improve the economics of carbon dioxide sequestration and methane hydrate dissociation, and assist in global carbon emissions management and methane hydrate exploitation. This paper summarizes the current knowledge on producing methane gas from hydrates while simultaneously sequestering carbon dioxide gas as hydrates, and discusses the challenges and issues in its implementation. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.