Catalytic Combustion of Fugitive Methane: Challenges and Current State of the Technology

This review covers the current state, challenges, and future directions of catalytic combustion technologies for mitigating fugitive methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is released from diverse sources, including natural gas production, oil operations, coal mining, and natural gas engines. The paper details the primary emission sources, and addresses the technical difficulties associated with dilute and variable methane streams such as ventilation air methane (VAM) from underground coal mines and low-concentration leaks from oil and gas infrastructure. Catalytic combustion is a useful abatement solution due to its ability to destruct methane in lean and challenging conditions at lower temperatures than conventional combustion, thereby minimizing secondary pollutant formation such as NOX. The review surveys the key catalyst classes, including precious metals, transition metal oxides, hexa-aluminates, and perovskites, and underscores the crucial role of reactor internals, comparing packed beds, monoliths, and open-cell foams in terms of activity, mass transfer, and pressure drop. The paper discusses advanced reactor designs, including flow-reversal and other recuperative systems, modelling approaches, and the promise of advanced manufacturing for next-generation catalytic devices. The review highlights the research needs for catalyst durability, reactor integration, and real-world deployment to enable reliable methane abatement.