The Scottish initiative’s technology is more thorough and permanent than existing methods
Every day, methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases infiltrate the atmosphere through leaks, often not even measured or recorded.
Methane in particular is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas. In 2020, methane reached its highest level in 40 years, and now, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere is over two-and-a-half times pre-industrial levels. A significant portion of global warming is driven by these methane emissions.
Innovations to minimise the amount of methane emissions are more important than ever, especially in the oil and gas industry.
A cleantech initiative from Heriot-Watt University called Rockit has introduced plans to seal 100,000 methane-leaking wells over the next 10 years using new chemical injection technology. This technology takes porous rock through which methane can leak and turns it into an impermeable barrier.
This injection can seep into small cracks in the rocks where current methods cannot reach, blocking methane emissions and creating a permanent seal, potentially for thousands of years.
“Using existing methods, research suggests it would take over 300 years to plug millions of at-risk wells on the planet,” said Dr Oleg Ishkov, a lead researcher at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society. “Our technology offers a radical new solution by transforming porous rocks into impermeable barriers, locking harmful gases underground for millennia.”
Based in Edinburgh, Rockit has been accepted into Scottish Enterprise’s High Growth Spinout Programme, receiving £75,000 in funding.
“The project is at the earliest stage of its scaling journey, but we’re confident that it can fully commercialise its cutting-edge research with our support and encouragement,” said Leah Pape, the head of High Growth Services at Scottish Enterprise. “We’re delighted to welcome Rockit into our High Growth Spinout Programme.”
“With Scottish Enterprise's funding, we're now poised to advance our research,” added Ishkov. “It has also allowed us to add two commercial champions to the team in the form of expert advisors.”
Dedicating resources to methane emission reduction is especially urgent because methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Cutting methane emissions by 45% by 2030 could help to meet the Paris Agreement’s aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Looking forward, the technology could be used for other emissions, offering safe storage for carbon and large quantities of hydrogen, for example.
The method was featured at the CleanTech Hub during COP28 in Dubai and won the 2023 Converge Net Zero Challenge. Its fully functional prototype was validated under lab conditions and granted an accelerated patent via the UK government’s Green Channel. The US patent application was also approved last month.
“Rockit exemplifies the research we champion at Heriot-Watt University. This technology has the potential to make a significant contribution to global net-zero goals, showcasing how our research can deliver tangible environmental benefits on a global scale,” said Professor Gill Murray, the deputy principal for enterprise and business at Heriot-Watt University.
“As the project moves forward with support from Scottish Enterprise, it's set to make significant strides in addressing one of the most critical challenges in the fight against climate change,” she said.
