Amino Acids as Kinetic Promoters for Gas Hydrate Applications: A Mini Review

Gas hydrates are viewed as a potential process enabler for several critical technological applications such as methane storage, hydrogen storage, gas separation, desalination, carbon dioxide capture and sequestration, etc. Hydrate based technological applications almost always require rapid hydrate formation along with high gas uptake to be economically viable. One possible approach to achieve the same is the introduction of particular additives into the system. These additives which are known as kinetic hydrate promoters (KHPs) either reduce the time required for hydrate nucleation or enhance the rate of hydrate growth or both. In recent times, amino acids, which are essential components of the human diet and thus ecofriendly materials, have emerged as a highly effective class of KHPs and unlike surfactants (traditional KHP molecules) promise a clean mode of kinetic action, i.e., no foam formation. Here we review the application of amino acids as KHPs for gas hydrate formation thus far and present perspectives on the mechanism of action for the same.