2023: Methanotrophic Biofilters for Mitigating Methane Emissions From Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells
Fugitive methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells are a major source of methane emissions. The U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has allocated substantial funds to address abandoned well emissions, but due to the expense of well plugging, these funds will address just a small fraction of the problem. Researchers will develop passive biological methane-oxidizing filters that can be used as low-cost and readily-scalable technologies to sustainably mitigate methane emissions from abandoned wells. This research will combine laboratory experiments with field-based measurements of abandoned wells in western New York to produce a proof of concept for the use of methanotrophic biofilters.
Investigators: Matthew Reid, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Ruth Richardson, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Jason Oliver, Animal Science