Sustainable Development Goals 7,9 & 13 – Gas Hydrates

 ✓  Exploration and identification: Gas hydrates are often found in difficult-to-access locations, such as beneath the ocean floor, making them difficult to locate and study. Additionally, their appearance is similar to that of ordinary sediment, making them difficult to distinguish from surrounding materials.

 ✓  Extraction and production: The extraction of gas from hydrate deposits is a complex process that requires the use of specialized drilling and production techniques. There are also many technical and logistical challenges associated with the safe and efficient production of gas from hydrate deposits.

 ✓  Storage and transportation: Gas hydrates are highly compressed and require specific conditions for storage and transportation, which can be difficult and expensive.

 ✓  Economic feasibility: Gas hydrates are still considered an unconventional energy source, and their production cost is high. Therefore, research must also focus on reducing the cost of production and making it more economically feasible for commercial use.

 ✓  Environmental concerns: There are concerns about the potential impact of gas hydrate extraction on the surrounding environment, including the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and the disruption of marine ecosystems.

Sustainable Development Goal 6 & 14 – Gas Hydrates & Clean Water

 ✓  Contamination: Water sources are becoming increasingly contaminated with pollutants such as industrial chemicals, agricultural runoff, and human waste, making it difficult to treat the water to a safe level.

 ✓  Treatment cost: Water treatment can be expensive, especially for small communities and rural areas. There is a need to develop cost-effective treatment technologies that can be used in these areas.

 ✓  Disposal of waste: Water treatment produces a significant amount of waste, such as sludge and chemical by-products, which need to be safely and properly disposed of in order to protect the environment.

 ✓  Climate change: Climate change can lead to changes in precipitation patterns, which can affect water availability and quality, making it more difficult to ensure a safe and reliable water supply.

 ✓  Microplastics: Microplastics are becoming an increasing concern in water treatment. It is a difficult challenge to remove these particles from the water and it is important to find ways to reduce their presence in the first place.

Sustainable Development Goals 9,11 & 12– Process Development

 ✓  Scale-up: Scaling up a process from laboratory to pilot plant or industrial scale can be challenging due to the need to maintain consistent product quality and process efficiency while also addressing issues such as equipment design and process control.

 ✓  Optimization: Optimizing a process to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase product yield while maintaining product quality can be difficult and time-consuming, and requires a thorough understanding of the process and the underlying science.

 ✓  Safety and environmental impact: Ensuring that a process is safe and environmentally friendly requires careful consideration of potential hazards and the use of appropriate safety measures and equipment.

 ✓  Regulation compliance: Process development must comply with the regulations and standards of the industry and the country where the process will be implemented.

 ✓  High-throughput experimentation: The high-throughput experimentation is a powerful tool for process development, but it can also be challenging as it requires significant investment in laboratory infrastructure, automation and data management.

 ✓  Process integration: Process integration and design for the entire production process including the recycling and reusing of materials and energy, and minimizing waste and emissions.

 ✓  Process modelling and simulation: The use of process modelling and simulation tools can aid in the design and optimization of processes, but it also requires a skilled workforce and a good understanding of the underlying process.

 ✓  Cost and time: Developing a process can be costly, both in terms of the required equipment and the time and resources required to perform the necessary research and testing. Therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate the potential return on investment and consider the feasibility of the process before proceeding with development.