Based in Houston, Texas, Ivor R. Ellul is an oil and gas industry leader who seeks out resource maximization strategies across the globe. Having served as Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Gulf Coast Section chair, Ivor R. Ellul maintains a close watch on industry trends. As reported in the SPE’s Journal of Petroleum Technology, one new resource on the horizon may be manufactured gas, or what a Baker Hughes-invested German startup Electrochaea calls “low-carbon synthetic natural gas.” The firm’s technique involves converting hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane through single-cell archaea microbes. At the same time, Baker Hughes has acquired Compact Carbon Capture (3C), which has developed a next-generation carbon-separation method with modular units. The end CO2 product could be supplied to Electrochaea and other users to remove the same amount of carbon as they produce. This energy-frontier strategy is shared by several other companies currently testing concepts. Together, they have created Store&Go as a way of promoting the concept of “green gas.” Industry watchers believe that synthetic gas will not be truly competitive over the next decade, as significant natural gas and crude oil reserves exist with low-cost mining potential. However, by 2050, many see a combination of production drops in oil and gas, combined with national regulations and carbon reduction commitments, increasing demand significantly.

1. Ivor R. Ellul

2. Based in Houston, Texas, Ivor R. Ellul is an oil and gas industry leader who
seeks out resource maximization strategies across the globe. Having
served as Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Gulf Coast Section chair,
Ivor R. Ellul maintains a close watch on industry trends.

3. As reported in the SPE’s Journal of Petroleum Technology, one new
resource on the horizon may be manufactured gas, or what a Baker
Hughes-invested German startup Electrochaea calls “low-carbon
synthetic natural gas.” The firm’s technique involves converting hydrogen
and carbon dioxide into methane through single-cell archaea microbes.

4. At the same time, Baker Hughes has acquired Compact Carbon Capture
(3C), which has developed a next-generation carbon-separation method
with modular units. The end CO2 product could be supplied to
Electrochaea and other users to remove the same amount of carbon as
they produce. This energy-frontier strategy is shared by several other
companies currently testing concepts. Together, they have created
Store&Go as a way of promoting the concept of “green gas.”

5. Industry watchers believe that synthetic gas will not be truly competitive
over the next decade, as significant natural gas and crude oil reserves
exist with low-cost mining potential. However, by 2050, many see a
combination of production drops in oil and gas, combined with national
regulations and carbon reduction commitments, increasing demand
significantly.