1. Can laser absorption spectroscopy help prevent a climate catastrophe?
Laser absorption spectroscopy is poised to help the downstream oil and gas industry quickly find and track methane leaks to significantly decrease their impact on the atmosphere.
Climate change is the defining megatrend of our time, influencing every segment of every industry in some way. That means every industry has some part to play in keeping global heating under the 1.5°C threshold set in the Paris Agreement—but few have as big a part to play as the oil and gas industry.
In particular, the downstream segment of the oil and gas industry is a significant contributor of the global heating problem. It emits significant amounts of methane and, according to the IEA, the downstream segment accounted for 20% of total fossil methane emissions. This means it has the potential to make a significant impact in the fight against climate change if it can get its methane emissions under control.
Finding an invisible threat
Methane is often compared directly to carbon dioxide, but the relationship between the two gases is complex. Methane’s molecular structure means it traps infrared (IR) radiation—heat—very effectively, much more so than carbon dioxide. It is estimated that, when first emitted into the atmosphere, methane traps 80–100X more heat than the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide.
But methane also has a much shorter lifespan once it is in the atmosphere—around 10 years— than carbon dioxide, which can persist for more than a century. This means methane emissions represent ”low-hanging fruit”—while emissions of methane are accelerating global heating at an unsustainable rate, cutting them will deliver rapid returns as humanity works toward achieving the sub-1.5°C target.
Breaking the vicious cycle
Industrial gas detection is a mature market that continues to expand as devices become cheaper at the compliance end of the market and smarter at the top end. On the one hand, at Umicore, we work with OEMs stripping their devices back to basics, focusing on functionality and cost for low-cost markets. On the other, we assist in driving advances to open new opportunities and allow end users to use their devices in ways they haven't considered.
Knowledge is power in all walks of life, but especially the fight against climate change. The facts about the true cost of the downstream oil and gas industry’s methane leaks are all out there—all we need is the tool to collect them. Laser absorption spectroscopy is that tool—and it could be the one that helps prevent a climate catastrophe.
2. NASA's Chandra, Webb combine to produce new views of space
Four composite images – merging X-ray and Infrared signals – show two galaxies, a nebula, and a star cluster.
- NGC 346 is a star cluster in a nearby galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, about 200,000 light-years from Earth. Webb shows plumes and arcs of gas and dust that stars and planets use as source material during their formation. The purple cloud on the left seen with Chandra is the remains of a supernova explosion from a massive star.
- NGC 1672 is a spiral galaxy, but one that astronomers categorize as a “barred” spiral. In regions close to their centers, the arms of barred spiral galaxies are mostly in a straight band of stars across the center that encloses the core, as opposed to other spirals that have arms that twist all the way to their core. The Chandra data reveals compact objects like neutron stars or black holes pulling material from companion stars as well as the remnants of exploded stars.
- Messier 16, also known as the Eagle Nebula, is a famous region of the sky often referred to as the “Pillars of Creation.” The Webb image shows the dark columns of gas and dust shrouding the few remaining fledgling stars just being formed. The Chandra sources, which look like dots, are young stars that give off copious amounts of X-rays.
- Messier 74 is also a spiral galaxy — like the Milky Way — that we see face-on from Earth. It is about 32 million light-years away. Messier 74 is nicknamed the Phantom Galaxy because it is relatively dim, making it harder to spot with small telescopes than other galaxies in Charles Messier’s catalog from the 18th century.
