Methane is a simple hydrocarbon with the chemical formula CH₄. It’s made up of:
- 1 carbon (C) atom
- 4 hydrogen (H) atoms
These atoms are arranged in a tetrahedral structure, with the carbon atom in the center and the hydrogen atoms at the corners of the tetrahedron.
In terms of bonding:
- Each hydrogen atom forms a single covalent bond with the carbon atom.
- This makes methane a non-polar molecule and the simplest alkane in the hydrocarbon family.
Methane is colorless, odorless (until odorants like mercaptan are added for detection), and is a major component of natural gas, commonly used as a fuel and an important greenhouse gas.
🌱 Natural Sources of Methane:
- Wetlands – The largest natural source. Microbes in oxygen-poor environments (like swamps, bogs, and rice paddies) produce methane during the breakdown of organic material.
- Termites – Their digestion releases small amounts of methane.
- Oceans – Methane can be released from sediments on the seafloor or through methane hydrates.
- Wildfires – Incomplete combustion of organic material can release methane.
- Geologic seeps – Methane can leak from underground reservoirs naturally.
🏭 Human-Related (Anthropogenic) Sources:
- Fossil Fuel Production & Use
- Leaks during extraction, processing, and transport of oil and natural gas (a major source).
- Coal mining also releases methane trapped underground.
- Agriculture
- Enteric fermentation – Methane is produced in the digestive systems of ruminant animals like cows and sheep.
- Manure management – Storage of animal waste in oxygen-poor conditions produces methane.
- Rice paddies – Flooded fields create anaerobic conditions where methane-producing microbes thrive.
- Landfills
- Organic waste decomposing under anaerobic conditions produces methane.
- Biomass burning
- Incomplete burning of organic matter during deforestation or crop residue burning releases methane.
