World first: emissions from glassmaking raw material seen from space
On 13 June 2021, GHGSat captured the first-ever satellite observation of methane emissions from trona mining activities, from the Green River Basin, Wyoming - the location of the world’s largest natural deposit.
This is claimed to be a world-first.
Trona is a sodium carbonate compound extracted from underground mines and processed into soda ash.
Predominantly used to manufacture glass for the automotive and construction industries it is also the raw material for baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), laundry and cleaning products, and used in the manufacture of cloth and paper.
It is the fracturing of the rock to extract the ore that releases methane, which must be vented from the mine for safety reasons. While soda ash can be manufactured synthetically, about 35% of the world’s supply comes from natural sources.
GHGSat satellite technology detected and measured the methane emission with an estimated rate of nearly 950kg/h.
Whilst smaller than the average emission rate from coal mines observed by GHGSat satellites over the last six months, if captured and processed into natural gas, the emission level measured could supply electricity for a year to approximately 37,000 homes.
The volume of methane measured presents a potential opportunity for mining operators in setting up an investment structure, by converting methane emissions into renewable energy.
18.1 million tons of trona were mined from the Green River Basin area in 2019, with the region’s mines supplying around 90% of the soda ash used in the United States.
According to Wyoming Mining, the U.S Geological Survey estimated (in 1997) the total US reserve of trona to be 127 billion tons, with about 40 billion tons recoverable for use.
The next largest natural trona reserve (around 873 million tonnes) is located in Turkey with Botswana, China, Ethiopia, and Kenya also producing soda ash from natural sources.
Trona is mined underground, creating connected caverns with pillars left to support the overlying rock.
As with mining operations, it is the fracturing of the rock to extract the ore that releases methane, which must be vented from the mine for safety reasons.
Both the UN Global Methane Assessment 2021 and the recent IPCC Climate Report have highlighted the rapid increase in methane emissions in recent years – with scientists attributing between 30 and 50% of the current rise in global temperatures to this potent greenhouse gas.
Reducing methane is now one of the quickest actions we can take to curb global warming.
Coal mining accounts for around 11% of global methane emissions and closed pits still leak greenhouse gas. GHGSat high-resolution satellite technology can identify and measure new methane emissions around the world every day, even small emissions, from a single mine vent.
This first trona mine satellite observation has prompted GHGSat to monitor these sources of methane to help industrials and governments understand their emissions.
As operators are trying to find new ways to reduce their emissions, reliable and accurate data becomes increasingly critical to reach their carbon intensity targets.
Image: the Trona methane capture.
