A new study has shown that Bitcoin mining could play a key role in reducing methane emissions by using the gas as a source of energy, turning a harmful greenhouse gas into a useful resource.
Zero emission electric miners
The study, titled “An Integrated Landfill Gas-to-Energy and Bitcoin Mining Framework” details how Bitcoin miners can harness methane from landfill gas systems to generate energy.
The authors explain that methane emissions have risen significantly since the Industrial Revolution, tripling in levels and in the current narrative, it allegedly contributing to about half of the global warming observed today.
The researchers found that Bitcoin mining could be a highly effective method to capture and utilize methane, preventing it from entering the atmosphere.
By converting methane into energy, Bitcoin miners can reduce its amount.
Bitcoin is the sustainable alternative
The researchers argue that Bitcoin mining has the right incentives to support such environmentally beneficial projects, which are often too costly and long-term for other private enterprises to undertake without government subsidies.
But the financial rewards of Bitcoin mining are available globally, for anyone, making it a scalable solution for methane reduction that doesn’t rely on government funding.
This incentive structure could also be applied to other underutilized energy sources, such as those from abandoned oil and gas wells, wastewater facilities, and even farm biogas devices.
Public bitcoin miners want to participate
In a practical application of this concept, Marathon Digital Holdings partnered with Nodal Power to use methane gas for Bitcoin mining in the USA.
Marathon wants to diversify its operations, and this 280-kilowatt project is a viable way, with lower energy costs.
The company also expanded its mission by entering into an agreement with the Kenyan government in May 2024 to develop renewable energy infrastructure in the country.
The environmental benefits of Bitcoin mining have been highlighted in other studies as well.
For example, a 2023 report from the Institute of Risk Management suggested that Bitcoin mining could help reduce global emissions by about 8% by 2030.
