Dangerous discovery. CH4 emissions are 100 times higher than expected

science and technology

Researchers from the Environmental Defense Fund found that CH4 emissions from the industrial sector were not well estimated. Using a Google Street View equipped with high-resolution methane sensor, researchers found methane emissions from ammonia plants were 100 times higher than reported in the fertilizer industry.

According to the "phys" site, the detected percentages were much higher than EPA estimates for all industrial processes in the United States.

Car Estimation of Methane

"We have taken one small industry that most people have never heard of, and we found that methane emissions are three times higher," EPA said.

"This shows us that there is a big gap between the initial estimates and the measurements in the real world," Albertson said.

The results of the researchers were reported in estimating methane emissions from the US ammonia fertilizer industry using the remote sensing method. The work was funded in part by a grant from the Atkinson Center for a future joint research program with EDF.

During the study, the Google Street View car made public roads near six representative fertilizer plants in the center of the country to determine methane emissions in the atmosphere.