How is methane produced? What are some of the sources of methane in the atmosphere?

Answer 1

See wikipedia. Natural gas trapped in rocks millions of years ago from decaying vegetable matter. Also cows farting.

Answer 2

Natural gas fields
The major source of methane is extraction from geological deposits known as natural gas fields. It is associated with other hydrocarbon fuels and sometimes accompanied by helium and nitrogen. The gas at shallow levels (low pressure) is formed by anaerobic decay of organic matter deep under the Earth's surface. In general, sediments buried deeper and at higher temperatures than those which give oil generate natural gas.

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Alternative sources
Apart from gas fields an alternative method of obtaining methane is via biogas generated by the fermentation of organic matter including manure, wastewater sludge, municipal solid waste, or any other biodegradable feedstock, under anaerobic conditions. Industrially, methane can be created from common atmospheric gases and hydrogen (produced, perhaps, by electrolysis) through chemical reactions such as the Sabatier process, Fischer-Tropsch process. Coal bed methane extraction is a method for extracting methane from a coal deposit. It is also caused by cows' natural gas.

Answer 3

Every hundred years there comes a great mind and Thomas Gold is one of them IMHO. He theorized that methane as well as so called "fossil fuels" primarily comes from outgassing of primordial carbon from the later formation of the earth. For those who imply methane comes primarily from vegetable or biologic material, they would be hard pressed to explain the methane on moon Titan or the trillions of tons of methane hydrates in the ocean floor. When the earth was formed, theoretically it was from the accumualtion of meteorites, particles, comets, gas, asteroids etc. which accumulated into a sphere. Previously, geologists favored melt theories but now the cold accretion theory is favored. Since it is believed the earth did not melt, specifically most of the crust and upper mantle to 600 km deep, this allowed the the methane contained deep within the earth to later outgas through cracks as it has continued through present. Sometimes it gets accumulated in stratigraphic traps. I believe it is both biogenic and abiogenic in origin. In Gold's theory, methane is associated with coal and oil because it is essential to their formation

Answer 4

I make methane by eating lots of mexican food. Methane is also produced by the break down of organic material by micorobes.

Answer 5

Methane can be produced by a variety of ways. But it is mostly available naturally, so no body really bothers to produce it unless one needs it in a purified form.
Methane is found in marshlands and is also called 'marsh gas'.

Answer 6

I dont know how they mass-produce methane but I know
that methane is comes out when you fart
a combination of methane and sulfur ;)

Answer 7

In LABS methane is produced by the following method.(think of the nos.as the subscript)
CH3COONA+NAOH->CH4(THATS METHANE)+NA2CO3
methane is mainly founf over marshy lands and cannot b found in atmosphere

Answer 8

Methane is from decaying matter.

Answer 9

anaerobic microbes use sulfates and sulfides for energy. the by product of this is methane and H2S.

Answer 10

By incomplete combustion in the intestinal tract.