Methane, Volume 4, Issue 3 (September 2025) – 5 articles

Accurate methane emission estimates are essential for climate policy, yet current field methods often struggle with spatial constraints and source complexity. Ground-based mobile approaches frequently miss key plume features, introducing bias and uncertainty in emission rate estimates. This study addresses these limitations by using small unmanned aerial systems equipped with precision gas sensors to measure methane alongside co-released tracers. We tested whether arc-shaped flight paths and alternative ratio estimation methods could improve the accuracy of tracer-based emission quantification under real-world constraints. Controlled releases using ethane and nitrous oxide tracers showed that (1) arc flights provided stronger plume capture and higher correlation between methane and tracer concentrations than traditional flight paths; (2) the cumulative sum method yielded the lowest relative error (as low as 3.3%) under ideal mixing conditions; and (3) the arc flight pattern yielded the lowest relative error and uncertainty across all experimental configurations, demonstrating its robustness for quantifying methane emissions from downwind plume measurements. These findings demonstrate a practical and scalable approach to reducing uncertainty in methane quantification. The method is well-suited for challenging environments and lays the groundwork for future applications at the facility scale. Full article

Wetlands are the most important natural sources of methane. Studies on the distribution and diversity of methanotrophs, especially in tropical wetlands, are limited. The studies on wetland methanotrophs help bridge the gap in the literature for understanding the community structure of methanotrophs in tropical wetlands. Our present study documents the methanotroph diversity from various wetland habitats across Western India. Samples from various sites, such as freshwater ponds, lake sediments, mangroves, etc., located in Western India, were collected and enriched for methanotroph isolation. An established protocol for the isolation of methanotrophs from Indian rice fields, involving serial dilution and long-term incubations, was slightly modified and used. Obtaining entirely pure cultures of methanotrophs is a labor-intensive and technically challenging process. Hence, for primary level characterization, ‘methanotroph monocultures’, which have a single methanotroph culture with minimal contamination, were established. Twenty monocultures and eight pure cultures of methanotrophs were obtained in this study. The pmoA gene has been used for the phylogenetic characterization of methanotrophs for the last 25 years. Monocultures were from seven genera: the Methylomonas, Methylocystis, Methylosinus, Methylocaldum, Methylocucumis, Methylomagnum, and Methylolobus genera. Eight pure cultures were obtained, which were strains of Methylomonas koyamae, Methylosinus sporium, and Methylolobus aquaticus. A maximum number of cultures belonged to the Type I genus Methylomonas and to the Type II genus Methylocystis. Thus, the cultivation-based community studies of methanotrophs from wetland habitats in India expanded the current knowledge about the methanotroph diversity in such regions. Additionally, the cultivation approach helped us obtain new methanotrophs from this previously unexplored habitat, which can be used for further biotechnological and environmental applications. The isolated monocultures can either be used as MMCs (mixed methanotroph consortia) for environmental applications or further purified and used as pure cultures. Full article

This work examined the effects of secondary annular flow area on flame stability in an experimental diffusion flame burner. The burner was composed of a horizontally mounted, rectangular chamber that utilized a retractable spark plug for ignition and an inverse coaxial injector. The primary and secondary gaseous reactants were oxygen and methane, respectively. Three injectors were assessed to have a fixed primary flow area and secondary flow impingement angle of 30 degrees with the primary flow and distinct secondary annular flow areas. Resultant flames and flame standoff distances were recorded via optical windows aligned parallel to the burner axis. Flame stability regime maps were generated based on the reactant equivalence ratio, the methane Reynolds number, and the injector secondary annular flow area. Results showed that among the injectors, the greater the secondary annular flow area with an impingement angle, the better the likelihood of generating a stable, anchored, fuel-rich diffusion flame for hydrogen production over the largest range of Reynolds numbers. As the secondary flow area decreased, stable diffusion flames transitioned from existing at highly turbulent flows to experiencing near-blowoff or no ignition under the same conditions. Secondary annular flow area significantly influences the location and range of stable, anchored methane/oxygen diffusion flames. Full article

Quantifying methane (CH₄) emissions is essential for climate change mitigation; however, current estimation methods often suffer from substantial uncertainties, particularly at the site level. This study introduces a drone-based approach for measuring CH₄ emissions using an open-path Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) sensor mounted parallel to the ground, rather than in the traditional nadir-pointing configuration. Controlled CH₄ release experiments were conducted to evaluate the method’s accuracy, employing a modified mass-balance technique to estimate emission rates. Two wind data processing strategies were compared: a logarithmic wind profile (LW) and a constant scalar wind speed (SW). The LW approach yielded highly accurate results, with an average recovery rate of 98%, while the SW approach showed greater variability with increasing distance from the source, although it remained reliable in close proximity. The method demonstrated the ability to quantify emissions as low as 0.08 g s⁻¹ with approximately 4% error, given sufficient sampling. These findings suggest that the proposed UAV-based system is a promising, cost-effective tool for accurate CH₄ emission quantification in sectors, such as agriculture, energy, and waste management, where traditional monitoring techniques may be impractical or limited. Full article

Biogas is a renewable energy source produced by anaerobic digestion of organic waste. It can be upgraded to bio-methane by removing carbon dioxide, water and impurities. The present work focuses on carbon dioxide removal using both physical and chemical absorption in a micromixer. The absorption efficiency in the micromixer was studied under various conditions of co-current gas–liquid flow. With physical absorption, 25% of carbon dioxide could be removed from the biogas stream (with a liquid flowrate of 40 mL/min and a gas flowrate of 25 mL/min). In absorption with a chemical reaction, up to 88% of the carbon dioxide was eliminated with a catalyst concentration of 77.4 mol·m⁻³. In both cases, the space time was below 3 s. Liquid-side mass transfer coefficients as large as 3.5 s⁻¹ were achieved, which is at least two orders of magnitude higher than those reported in conventional absorbers. Full article