The latest developments in the analytical sensing of methane

The detection of methane gas is extremely important for health and safety reasons and its monitoring is required in many areas, such as water-treatment plants, the oil and gas industry, landfill sites, and commercial or domestic environments. There is increasing need to quantify methane being lost in production processes, so analytical detection methods will become important if public policies on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are tightened to combat global warming. We review recent analytical techniques for methane detection and measurement including spectroscopic, electrochemical, chromatographic and solid-state methods. We summarize the advantages and the disadvantages of each technique, while providing a guide for the precise choice of method, depending upon user requirements. There is a need for portable, inexpensive methods for on-line methane measurements. We hope that this review can provide a reference point for the next generation of methane detection devices.