Burnable ice

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Experts have developed an alternative eco-friendly energy source: “burnable ice”. http://i.weather.com.cn/i/c/images/2009/20090327/49cc268a_17ff8.jpg This \"burnable ice\" could become a new type of eco-friendly energy source, potentially replacing traditional fuels. According to the American Science Daily, in the future, ice-like natural gas extracted from the seabed or beneath the Arctic permafrost could be used as a clean, environmentally friendly fuel for vehicles and household heating purposes. Currently, **researchers in the United States call them “gas hydrates”; under the right conditions, this frozen form of natural gas can burn and produce a flame. Scientists say that gas hydrates can replace the traditional fuels that are in short supply, and they do not release large amounts of carbon dioxide like traditional fuels, which contributes to global warming. Dr. Tim Collett, a geoscientist at the USGS and one of the co-authors of the research report, said, “Gas hydrates serve as a bridge toward the use of clean fuel energy in the future. In the years to come, humans will rely more on clean and environmentally friendly energy sources; in addition to ice-like natural gas, hydrogen and solar energy will also be utilized.” ”He and his research colleagues added that gas hydrates are a type of combustible ice with special uses; they can help mitigate global warming by releasing less carbon dioxide than other fuels. In November 2008, a team of US Geological Survey researchers including Collett claimed that recent studies represented a major step forward toward new types of environmentally friendly fuels in the future. In this landmark study, scientists from the Geological Survey estimated that 85.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could be extracted from the gas hydrates found in the northern slope region of Alaska, enough to supply 100 million households for at least 10 years. Collette said, “Clearly, this is a very valuable resource, but at present we still don’t know exactly how much volume of gas hydrate can be utilized on an industrial scale. This volume depends largely on how effectively and cost-effectively useful methane gas can be extracted from the gas hydrates.” ”Currently, many scientists around the world are studying gas hydrates, in an effort to understand the structure of this unique substance and to figure out how it can be used as a substitute for traditional fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Although scientists were aware of gas hydrates decades ago, it was only recently that they began to explore them as an alternative sustainable energy source. It is also known as \"clathrates\"; it forms when methane gas is released from organic substances and comes into contact with water under low temperature and high pressure conditions. Cold and high-pressure conditions typically exist in underwater or certain underground environments on land, such as the deep sea floor and the permafrost in the Arctic. Today, researchers have discovered large amounts of gas hydrates around the world, including in the United States, India, and Japan. Apart from Alaska, this energy source is found on the seabed of the Gulf of Mexico and along its eastern coast within the United States. Research on gas hydrates is now being carried out extensively around the world, with India and Japan investing significant funds in such research globally. Dr. Ray Boswell, one of the co-authors of the research report, said, “Once we know how to better locate promising gas hydrate deposits, we will need to figure out how to produce this energy in a safe and economically viable manner.” ”He emphasized that a thorough analysis of the chemical properties of gas hydrates will enable a better understanding of their production methods. Boswell said that one promising technique is to apply simple pressure reduction to the deposited layer in order to extract gaseous compounds, while another method involves replacing methane gas with carbon dioxide gas within the inclusion structure. Based on the above theory, this energy can be extracted using traditional oil and gas drilling methods. Last edited by Hongru on 2009-3-28 at 12:03.]