PRIN IDRATI

Clathrate hydrates are crystalline structures where water molecule cages host gas molecules. Natural deposits of methane hydrates are mainly found at the margins of the continental platforms, where the formation is favored by the presence of organic material and the appropriate pressure and temperature conditions. Natural gas hydrates (NGH) constitute the largest reservoir of natural gas on the planet. The methane contained within the crystalline structure can be replaced by carbon dioxide by an exchange thermodynamically favorable.

The proposed project aims to develop an innovative technological solution for the extraction of methane from marine NGH and the simultaneous sequestration of carbon dioxide in a single process. The obtained fuel is neutral in terms of climate-changing emissions and therefore equivalent to renewable energy sources.

The project is devoted to obtain a body of knowledge, significantly beyond the state of the art on chemical, physical and geotechnical properties of marine NGH and on the CH₄-CO₂ replacement mechanism. A scalable CH₄ extraction/CO₂ replacement device, a methane purification and CO₂ recirculation section will be developed and tested in a seafloor simulator. A theoretical geophysical model of the marine NGH reservoir will be developed.