Example
Combustion and some biological treatment processes oxidise methane.
The catch
Climate accounting must include residual methane, energy use and relevant CO₂ emissions.
Related terms
Methane, Anthropogenic methane, Biogenic methane, Flaring, Fossil methane, Fugitive emissions
In more depth
Methane oxidation, explained.
Methane oxidation is how the atmosphere clears methane, and engineers copy the process to destroy it faster. In the air, methane reacts mainly with hydroxyl radicals, which removes it within roughly a decade (about 12 years) and contributes to ground-level ozone along the way. In soil, bacteria called methanotrophs oxidise methane for energy, and a well-designed landfill cover puts them to work on part of the gas rising through it.
Engineered oxidation ranges from flares and enclosed combustors to thermal and catalytic oxidisers that handle gas too dilute to burn on its own. Turning methane into CO₂ cuts its warming effect sharply, because a tonne of methane traps far more heat than the CO₂ it becomes. The size of the gain depends on destruction efficiency, which field conditions keep below perfect.