Making Gases More Transportable: Methane Gas Converted To Powder Form
Scientists have developed a material made out of a mixture of silica and water which can soak up large quantities of methane molecules. The material looks and acts like a fine white powder which, if developed for industrial use, might be easily transported or used as a vehicle fuel.
Methane is the principal component of natural gas and can be burnt in oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. The abundance of the gas and its relatively clean burning process makes it a good source of fuel, but due to its gaseous state at room temperature, methane is difficult to transport from its source.
If it binds methane into methane hydrate at 0 C then the binding energy must come out as heat. Water phase transitions are expensive. If you want the methane back you must put in the binding energy. Unless the methane comes in at 100% relative humidity the wet miracle is at best temporary. You cannot store moist (more than a ppm or so) methane at pressure – ask natural gas pipeline operators. Coarse silica won’t cooperate. Fine silica (fumed silca) is a dusting problem (an insane engineering problem). Other than that, and matrix posioning, it sounds ripe for Federal subsidy.
How much methane will diesel dissolve at modest pressures? At 100 F and 3000 psia, 94 liters of STP methane dissolve in one liter of #2 diesel. How does that compare with wet silica? Bitchin’ well! Wth problem were we hoping to solve?