Japanese researchers said on Wednesday that they hoped to obtain bacteria in the fight against world's greatest problem i.e., global warming to transform carbon dioxide into the seabed buried natural gas.
Scientists from the Japan Agency, Marine-Earth Science and Technology to activate the bacteria found naturally in soil to turn CO2 into methane, the main component of natural gas.
A team led by principal investigator Fumio Inagaki already confirmed that the bacterium is present in the earth's crust deep under the seabed beyond the north end of the main island of Japan, a spokesman for the Institute told AFP.
But the project faces a major challenge to develop methods to activate the bacteria and accelerates the speed of methane, a spokesman for the agency acknowledged.
In the natural environment, the bacteria turn CO2 into methane very slowly, over billions of years, "he said.
The researchers hope to develop technologies over the next five years in order to activate the bacteria and shorten the transition to about 100 years, "he said.
"The Institute has a number of obstacles, including the need to ensure that the budget before the official kick-off the project," said a spokesman. "But if you run, this will be the first such project in as far as we know it."
The point is, the bacteria produce methane from CO2 is buried in a layer about 2000m(6600 ft), in accordance with the seabed, the agency said.
Scientists from Japan and elsewhere are trying to capture and store co2 in underground in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Such projects are controversial as environmentalists warn that CO2 can pass on the outside.
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