Enhance methane hydrate formation using fungus confining sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions for methane storage

Abstract The storage and transportation of natural gas in the form of gas hydrates have the advantages of being safer and more environmentally friendly. However, the slow formation of kinetics has limited the large-scale application of hydrate-based technologies. In this work, we confined water and sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions in black fungus to improve hydrate formation and eliminate the foam problem associated with hydrate decomposition in a surfactant solution. The black fungus effectively increases the gas-liquid contact area, thereby significantly enhancing the hydrate formation kinetics. Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm the promoting role of porous fungus in facilitating CH4 hydrate formation. The degree of saturation and concentration of confined SDS solution in fungus have critical impacts on turning the induction time of the CH4 hydration formation and the maximum gas storage capacity. The corresponding mechanisms have been elucidated. Additionally, with porous fungus as the confining substrate, SDS solutions show impressive recycling stability for enhancing hydrate formation. The porous fungus with an excellent promotion performance is highly promising for applications in the storage and transportation of natural gas in the form of hydrates.