At room temperature methane is a colourless, odourless gas. The common smell associated with methane is an odourant added to the gas as a safety precaution. It is flammable over a range of concentrations, 5 – 17%, at standard pressure.

Methane is the major constituant of natural gas and is extracted from bedrock or sedimentary sources. Due to its ease of extraction is not considered economically viable to manufacture industrially.

Control of methane emissions are important as methane contributes 34 times the global warming potential compared to carbon dioxide. The concentration of methane in the earths atmosphere has increased by 150% over the past 200 years this in turn can increase the production of methane in natural ecosystems creating a climate change feedback loop.