Rockit, a clean technology company based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, has announced ambitious plans to seal 100,000 methane-emitting wells over the next decade, using a groundbreaking chemical injection method. The goal is to transform methane-emitting rocks into a solid, permanent seal of insoluble minerals, effectively locking in toxic greenhouse gases underground for thousands of years.
Methane, which has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, is a significant contributor to global warming according to the International Energy Agency. Reducing methane emissions by 45% by 2030 could help meet the Paris Agreement’s target of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C. Rockit’s innovative approach offers a potential solution to this challenge by sealing methane wells and preventing the release of harmful greenhouse gases.
The clean tech company, now part of Scottish Enterprise’s High Growth Spinout programme, secured £75,000 ($98,150) in funding to support the scaling of its technology. The team’s prototype has already won awards and was granted an accelerated patent through the UK Government’s Green Channel. The chemical injection technique has been validated under lab conditions and is poised for further development.
Lead researcher Oleg Ishkov, from Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, emphasised the importance of this new technology and said, “Using existing methods, research suggests it would take over 300 years to plug millions of at-risk wells on the planet. Our technology offers a radical new solution by transforming porous rocks into impermeable barriers, locking harmful gases underground for millennia.”
The initiative has attracted high-profile experts to help advance the project, including Mark Zwinderman, CEO of SAS Environmental Services, and Laurence Ormerod, a former vice-president at Weatherford International. They will join Professor Eric Mackay and Dr. Ishkov from Heriot-Watt to drive the initiative forward.
Leah Pape, head of high growth services at Scottish Enterprise, said, “The project is at the earliest stage of its scaling journey, but we’re confident that it can fully commercialise its cutting-edge research with our support and encouragement.”
Professor Gill Murray, deputy principal for enterprise and business at Heriot-Watt, also highlighted the global impact of the project: “This technology has the potential to make a significant contribution to global net-zero goals, showcasing how our research can deliver tangible environmental benefits on a global scale. As a global university, we’re uniquely positioned to help translate groundbreaking ideas into commercially viable solutions. Our long-standing support for Rockit, including championing its founder in the Converge Net Zero Challenge and showcasing the path-breaking research at international events like Cop28, demonstrates our commitment to fostering transformative technologies.”