A new way of tackling one of the environment’s largest methane sources will be developed and tested in a project led by Edinburgh Napier University (ENU).
As part of Mossthane, researchers will use a lab-grown composite of moss and bacteria to assess its ability to absorb freshwater methane – which contributes around a third of the world’s methane emissions.
The team, led by Mike Hinchliffe from ENU’s Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science, will carry out fieldwork on the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders.
If the method proves effective, they hope it could be replicated across the temperate northern hemisphere.
Mossthane is funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) within their Engineering Ecosystem Resilience opportunity, which is exploring whether combining high-resolution measurement with targeted, resilience-boosting interventions could reverse biodiversity decline and prevent ecological collapse.
The high oxygen and methane content in rivers make suitable habitats for methane oxidising bacteria (MOB), microorganisms that can capture methane by converting it to CO2 and biomass.
This project will enrich MOB on aquatic moss to create a nature-based biofilter, which could then be deployed in stretches of river with high methane concentrations.
The research team will identify optimal conditions that balance the growth and methane sequestering capabilities of the moss-bacteria composite, while developing models to predict rivers where this type of intervention is needed.
Lead researcher Mike Hinchliffe said: “Despite the high level of methane which comes from freshwater, there are currently few practical tools to reduce it.
“We hope that this composite of moss and bacteria could offer an alternative, nature-based way of lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
“This project is particularly exciting as no-one has picked up on the full capability of greater water-moss before.
“Our aim to create predictive tool to target for methane reduction would make it possible to repeat this process elsewhere.
“If it proves effective, it has real potential to combat methane emissions across large parts of the world.”
Yannick Wurm, Programme Director at ARIA, said: “We’re in vital need of new solutions to address the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises.
“Mossthane is a great example of identifying and harnessing the tools that already exist in nature to address a major source of methane emissions.”