Zukünftige kommerzielle Nutzung von Methanhydratvorkommen im Meeresboden

• Main Authors: Wallmann, Klaus, Haeckel, Matthias, Bohrmann, Gerhard, Suess, Erwin
• Other Authors: Lozan, J. L., Gral, H., Karbe, L., Reise, K.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Wissenschaftliche Auswertungen 2011
• Subjects: Methane hydrate
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/12463/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/12463/1/Wallmannetal_2011_bookchapter.pdf

Commercial utilization of methane hydrate deposits in the seabed: The vast amount of natural gas bound in methane hydrates is considered as future energy resource by a growing number of states and companies in South-East Asia and North America. Successful field production tests showed that gas hydrates can be dissociated in the sub-surface by heat addition and pressure reduction while the released gas is produced via conventional drill wells. Laboratory studies demonstrate that CO2 from coal power plants can be applied to liberate methane from the hydrate structure and produce natural gas while the injected CO2 is safely stored as hydrate in the sub-surface. The commercial exploitation of sub-seabed gas hydrates may start in the next decade pending on the success of field production tests off Japan scheduled for 2012 and 2014. Specific environmental risks are associated with the future utilization of gas hydrates. These include the extinction of special benthic ecosystems relying on methane from hydrates as energy source, the triggering of slope failure, and leakage of greenhouse gases into the marine environment. Suitable measures have to be taken to avoid these risks. An appropriate legal framework should be established at the international level to meet the specific challenges and risks associated with the commercial use of gas hydrates in the marine environment.