For health and climate: a new venture to tackle methane

For health and climate: Cambridge researchers have developed a filter to improve indoor air quality and remove methane, a potent greenhouse gas at the forefront of climate change.

CLEAR-Methane, founded by researchers at the Centre for Climate Repair, is a finalist in the University of Cambridge’s Postdoc Venture Creation Challenge.

“Our project focuses on developing photochemical filter systems designed for integration into HVAC units,” says Dr Aliki Marina Tsopelakou, one of the founders of the venture. It offers a “dual benefit”, she says: “improving indoor air quality - a pressing concern in the post-pandemic era - and enabling the removal of atmospheric methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases driving climate change.”

Although less discussed than carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane is approximately 80 times more potent over a span of 20 years, and it has contributed to around 30% of global warming over the last 150 years. After the COP26 summit in 2021, 111 countries committed to reducing methane emissions, with a reduction target of 30% by 2030.

CLEAR-Methane is one of the projects initiated by this drive to tackle the gas’ increasing emissions. Their filters catalyse the gas as it leaves a building to produce a mix of less potent CO₂ and water vapour.

In addition to methane, the technology can also reduce co-pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), contributing to healthier and cleaner indoor environments. 

“The system is designed for scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of deployment, leveraging existing building infrastructure to deliver an immediately deployable and energy-efficient climate solution,” says Tsopelakou.

Building on research conducted at the Department of Engineering and Centre for Climate Repair, CLEAR-Methane was co-founded by Tsopelakou, Tzia Ming Onn, Samuel Tomlinson, Adam Boies and Shaun Fitzgerald. “Our team aims to translate cutting-edge methane-removal science into market-ready clean technology that advances decarbonisation and climate resilience,” says Tsopelakou.

CLEAR-Methane has been selected as a finalist in the Postdoc Venture Creation Challenge organised by IE Cambridge: Innovation & Entrepreneurship, who recognise the project’s strong commercial and societal potential. 

The team are currently working with Cambridge Enterprise to patent the core technology and advance prototype development, pilot testing, and strategic industry partnerships to bring this innovation from the laboratory to real-world deployment, addressing both climate impact and indoor air quality together.

Researchers from the project have published a paper highlighting the feasibility of these filters as a scalable, high-efficiency solution for improving air quality and mitigating atmospheric pollution. In the paper, they grapple with questions of effectiveness and cost trade-offs and provide a blueprint for how these systems could be designed.

Read the paper here.

You can read more about the Centre for Climate Repair's greenhouse gas removal projects at https://www.climaterepair.cam.ac.uk/greenhouse-gas-removal