That chemical energy could be used for many things. Methane stored in cylinders could be sold to consumers, much like propane is stored, sold, and used in outdoor grills or for gas stoves. Coal-burning power plants could use the methane to heat water and generate more electricity. One big advantage of methane over other hydrocarbons like hydrogen gas is that an infrastructure already exists for methane, said Kyoung-Shin Choi, a chemistry professor at Purdue University who was not involved in the research. "If you want to use hydrogen as a energy source in the future, you have to convert all the existing infrastructure," said Choi. "But we've been using methane for years, and can utilize all the infrastructure we already have." "It's a clean and sustainable cycle as long as you have sun and water," said Choi. Whether the process is competitive commercially is still to be determined, said Grimes. "Do we take that CO2 and bury it, or do we use sunlight to turn it back into fuel?" said Grimes. "Today it's an even draw." Related Links: HowStuffWorks.com: Carbon Capture Discovery Tech: Top 10 Fuel-Efficient Cars Treehugger: Build Your Own Electric Car: 5 Questions to Ask First |
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