Spark Methane Removal Webinar Series

Join Spark Climate Solutions for monthly webinars, as we host scientists from around the world to discuss their research and explore challenges and opportunities associated with methane removal research. ‍

Methane removal is an emerging area of climate research with potential to be part of a portfolio approach for addressing climate risks. Methane is a short-lived, powerful greenhouse gas characterized by diverse anthropogenic sources, strong radiative forcing, increasing atmospheric concentration, and a risk of growing emissions from natural sources. Potential atmospheric methane removal approaches are being explored to accelerate natural methane breakdown processes. All approaches are at an early stage, and much more research is needed to understand how, and if, methane removal may be a feasible, safe, and acceptable addition to the climate response portfolio.

Upcoming Webinars

Considering Reactor-Based Technologies for Atmospheric Methane

April 24, 2025 | 9 - 10 am PDT / 12 - 1 pm EDT / 4 - 5 pm UTC

Removal of methane from the atmosphere using reactor systems is an emerging area of research, which may use surface-based catalysts, gas-phase radicals, or microbes to break down or consume methane flowing through them. Reactor technologies are already being applied to address dilute methane emission sources, such as dairy barns or coal mines; what would it take for reactors to have efficacy at atmospheric methane concentrations (2 ppm) and climate-relevant scale? Are there possible technologies to add methane removal capacity to direct air capture (DAC) capacity?

Spark will host Prof. Lisa Stein (University of Alberta), Prof. Adam Boies (Stanford University), and Prof. Matthew Johnson (University of Copenhagen) to discuss the potential of reactors for atmospheric methane removal. They each have different approaches to this challenge, Prof. Stein researches bioreactors, Prof. Boies investigates catalysis and the challenge of accessing airflow at scale, and Prof. Johnson is developing gas-phase radical reactors. Join us to explore the science, engineering, and feasibility of reactor-based methane removal for meaningful climate impact.

Register for the webinar

May 2025

Romany Webb and Korey Silverman-Roati of the Columbia University Sabin Center for Climate Change Law will speak about considerations for methane removal and their research on current legal landscapes for atmospheric oxidation enhancement and soil amendments. Check back soon for a registration link and more details.

May 12, 2025  | 9 - 10 am PDT / 12 - 1 pm EDT / 4 - 5 pm UTC

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Past Webinars

Assessing Potential Approaches to Enhance Atmospheric Oxidation

Recorded March 11, 2025

Atmospheric oxidation enhancement (AOE) has been proposed as a pathway to remove excess atmospheric methane, but it is challenging to assess scenarios where these strategies could be effective and safe. What approaches might be worth considering? How can we improve the models used to evaluate them? 

Spark hosted Dr. Jessica Haskins (University of Utah) and Dr. Hannah Horowitz (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) to discuss atmospheric oxidation enhancement and what research is needed to investigate if there may be a pathway to safe and acceptable use for these methods. Jessica is the co-author of a recent paper highlighting potential air quality side-effects of emitting hydrogen peroxide to enhance methane oxidation, and Hannah is the author of an analysis of several AOE approaches (preprint) commissioned by the National Academies committee that prepared a Research Agenda Toward Atmospheric Methane Removal.

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Problems Worth Solving in Biological Methane Removal

Recorded February 11, 2025

Homeworld Collective’s co-founder and Founding Scientist, Paul Reginato, PhD, discusses the outcomes of a November 2024 Workshop on Biological Methane Removal. This workshop, co-hosted by Homeworld Collective and Spark Climate Solutions, brought together over 40 interdisciplinary experts to identify critical problems constraining the field of biological methane removal and express them in problem statements. The webinar covered high-level scientific themes and research needs emerging from the workshop and lessons learned from this innovative workshop format. 

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Key Challenges and Open Questions in Methane Oxidation by Atmospheric Radicals

Recorded April 25, 2024‍

Panel speakers: 

• ​Dr. Colm Sweeney, Associate Director of Science for NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) and the Lead Scientist for GML's Aircraft program
• Dr. Julie Nicely, Assistant Research Scientist with the University of Maryland Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and the Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Dr. Thomas Röckmann, Chair and Professor of Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry at Utrecht University

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Key Challenges and Open Questions in Catalytic Methane Oxidation

Recorded March 15, 2024‍

Panel Speakers:

• ​Dr. Adam Boies, Professor of Nanomaterials and Aerosol Engineering at the University of Cambridge
• ​​Dr. Matteo Cargnello, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University
• ​Richard Randall, 4th year PhD student at Stanford University co-advised by Dr. Rob Jackson and Dr. Arun Majumdar

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Key Challenges and Open Questions in Methanotrophy

Recorded January 9, 2024‍

Panel Speakers:

• ‍Dr. Mary Lidstrom, Professor emeritus of microbiology and chemical engineering at the University of Washington‍
• Dr. Paul Bodelier, Senior scientist at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology in Wageningen‍
• Dr. Vincent Gauci, Birmingham Professorial Fellow in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham

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