Technical approaches to removing methane from the atmosphere (methane removal) : fact check and discussion / publisher: Federal Environment Agency ; Andreas R. Köhler (Öko-Institut e.V.), Wolfram Jörß (Öko-Institut e.V.)

Abstract

Against the background of the discussion on Carbon Dioxide Removal, the question arises as to whether there are also technologies to remove methane (CH4) from the atmosphere (Methane Removal), which is 30 times more harmful to the climate. Methane is converted into CO2 in the atmosphere by natural oxidation processes with an average residence time of 9 to 12 years. This factsheet presents the development status of technical approaches to accelerate this process and remove methane from the atmosphere at the current atmospheric concentration of approx. 2 ⁠ppm⁠. These approaches are not an alternative to avoiding and reducing methane emissions.