Japan and China successfully exploited the burning ice on the seabed, opening the hope of turning it into a common fuel in the future.
Gas escapes from a burning ice mining rig under the South China Sea. (Photo: AP.)
The commercial exploitation of huge reserves of fossil fuels called combustible ice has moved closer to reality after Japan and China successfully separated the material from their seabeds, according to the Bangkok Post.
Combustible ice is a frozen mixture of water and concentrated natural gas. Technically, it is also known as methane hydrate. Burnt ice can be ignited in the frozen state. It is one of the most abundant fossil fuels in the world.
China’s Xinhua News Agency reported that China successfully extracted flammable ice from the bottom of the East Sea on May 18. Jiang Daming, Minister of Natural Resources and Land of China, declared the event a breakthrough moment, leading to a future global energy revolution.
Japan also reported successful extraction of flammable ice two weeks earlier, on May 4 along the Shima Peninsula.
For Japan, methane hydrate offers an opportunity to reduce its heavy dependence on imported fuels. In China, it is a cleaner alternative to coal-fired plants and steel mills, helping to reduce air pollution for the country.
Methane hydrate is found mainly on the seafloor. It is also located deep within the permafrost in the Arctic and beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the estimated reserves of flammable ice in the world range from 280 trillion to 2,800 trillion cubic meters. Meanwhile, the total production of natural gas worldwide in 2015 was only 3.5 billion m3. This means that methane hydrate could meet global gas demand for 80 to 800 years at current consumption levels.
The high cost of mining and the profit factor are the reasons why private and state-owned energy companies have not invested in mining flammable ice for decades. Mining requires the use of large amounts of water or carbon dioxide (CO2) to flood the methane hydrate storage, causing this fuel to be released and brought to the surface.
Scientists say it will be many more years before we can begin to produce flammable ice on a large scale. If not mined properly, this material will flood the Earth’s atmosphere with greenhouse gases and accelerate climate change.
“The climate impacts of flammable ice production are complex, with potential benefits but also significant risks,” said David Sandalow, an expert at the University’s Center for Global Energy Policy. Columbia University, New York, USA, said.