Rapid conversion of amino acid modified-ice to methane hydrate for sustainable energy storage

Advancing safe and efficient natural gas storage solutions is essential for ensuring a stable gas supply and strengthening global energy resilience. In this study, we developed amino acid-modified ice (AM-Ice) for solidified natural gas (SNG) applications. The optimized AM-Ice clathrate system achieved a methane storage capacity of 146.56 v/v with an uptake rate of 3.22 v/v s^-1 and 90% of the reaction completed within just 2.42 min. Compared to the unmodified ice baseline, this represents a 30-fold increase in storage capacity and a 29-fold enhancement in reaction kinetics. In situ Raman spectroscopy unveiled time-dependent methane occupancy at the molecular level within both 5¹² and 5¹²6² cages of the sI clathrate. We conducted an assessment of the effects of amino acid concentration, diversity, pressure, temperature, and scalability on hydrate formation in AM-Ice. Unlike conventional surfactants, amino acids facilitated rapid methane recovery through heat stimulation while effectively mitigating foam formation.