얼음 물질을 이용한 미래 에너지와 지구 온난화 처리 방안

Abstract

Gas hydrates are known to form by physical interactions between host water and guest gas molecules and thus can be treated as a special type of icy materials. The gas hydrates are recently highlighted because of their use to future energy source even though they were discovered naturally in the deep-sea marine sediments a long time ago. However, the present and future urgent task is to develop the efficient and safe production technology for recovering methane from gas hydrates. Here, we propose one of potential recovery processes using swapping phenomenon occurring between gaseous carbon dioxide and methane hydrate deposits. Such a swapping process provide several technological and economical advantages over conventional processes. The carbon dioxide can be directly sequestered into methane hydrate layer and simultaneously methane can be produced with a high recovery rate more than 90%. In addition, the icy powders can be effectively used as a new medium for storing hydrogen. To increase hydrogen storage capacity the icy hydrate networks need to be redesigned to create the more empty cages in which hydrogen gas can be enclathrated. Functionalized icy materials might be used in a variety of energy and environmental fields.