Swiss geoengineering start-up targets methane removal

AMR (Atmospheric Methane Removal) wants to use a fleet of small jets to disperse iron chloride (FeCl3) particles in aerosol form over iron-deficient parts of the oceans. This GeoRestoration Action Plan (GRAP) will see 40-60 jets making multiple flights per day, seeding the atmosphere above the oceans with up to 300,000 tons of ferric chloride per year, at an altitude of 2,000-4,000m.

According to AMR, iron chloride acts as catalyst in the presence of the Sun’s UV rays, converting atmospheric methane into CO2 and water. As methane’s warming effect is many orders of magnitude higher than CO2, the company claims this will have an immediate cooling impact on global temperatures.

FeCl3 particles that reach the oceans or land break down into ferric compounds that can feed plant and algae photosynthesis, sequestering CO2 and boosting the overall cooling effect. It’s claimed that the geoengineering process mimics one that already occurs naturally in iron-rich desert dust clouds.