Bluemethane tackles methane emissions and targets global growth with innovative technology

“Methane is a bit like the ugly duckling compared to CO2,” Bentata explained. “It's between 28 and 84 times more potent, which means when it's in the atmosphere, it absorbs much more heat."

Despite being responsible for 25-30 per cent of global warming, methane receives less than one per cent of climate-related investment.

Unlike CO2, which lingers in the atmosphere for centuries, methane has a shorter lifespan of 9 -12 years. Cutting methane emissions now could significantly reduce global warming in the near term.

The idea for Cranfield-based Bluemethane emerged from a Guardian article highlighting the greenhouse gas emissions from hydropower reservoirs. Bentata's co-founder, Nesta Rueda-Vallejo, was stunned by the magnitude of these emissions, despite his experience in the hydropower industry.

The two met online during the COVID-19 pandemic through a ClimateTech fellowship and co-founded Bluemethane without ever meeting in person. Their first face-to-face meeting happened en route to a Carbon13 venture-building session in London.

Carbon13 played a crucial role in Bluemethane’s development, especially in preparing for fundraising. “Neither Nesta nor I had ever fundraised before. So the whole fundraising market was foreign as anything,” Bentata shared.

Bluemethane’s technology takes inspiration from a simple household experience: opening a bottle of sparkling water.

“Imagine you're holding a bottle of sparkling water,” Bentata explained. “When you open it and shake it, the bubbles rush out. That’s essentially how our system works – using pressure changes and agitation to release dissolved methane from water.”

Once extracted, the methane is captured and repurposed as biogas, which can then be used to generate electricity or be injected into the natural gas grid.

Bluemethane’s first major project is with Anglian Water in Cambridge, where a unit will be installed to reduce methane emissions from wastewater. The company has also conducted successful pilot tests, including ‘Harvey the Methane Harvester’ on the Isle of Wight, which demonstrated how effective the technology is.

“Harvey captured 20 times as much carbon in methane as the energy it consumed,” Bentata says. “That means the operating energy is effectively zero.”

Encouraged by early success, Bluemethane aims to scale operations across the UK, Europe, and the US, targeting wastewater treatment plants, rice cultivation, and landfill leachate sites.

Ultimately, the company aspires to prevent methane emissions from melting permafrost, a looming and catastrophic climate threat.

With the climate crisis accelerating, Bluemethane offers a tangible and immediate solution. “We have a solution that’s ready today. Methane is our chance to make a real, measurable difference in global warming within a decade,” Bentata emphasised.

Bluemethane is among many climate tech startups supported by Carbon13’s venture builder programme, which funds 10-20 startups annually through the Carbon13 SEIS fund.

This initiative not only fosters climate solutions but also offers investors the opportunity to contribute to a rapidly growing sector while benefiting from tax relief.

• For those interested in supporting innovative climate technologies, investing in the Carbon13 SEIS Fund presents a meaningful opportunity.

You can find out more about Bluemethane at https://www.bluemethane.com. To listen to the full conversation with Louise Parlons Bentata, tune into the Angel Insights podcast.