Technology experts in Edinburgh aim to use a chemical injection to transform the methane-emitting rocks into a solid seal of insoluble minerals.

The technique will lock in greenhouse gases deep underground for thousands of years, according to Rockit, a clean technology company based at Heriot-Watt University.

The project has secured £75,000 in funding to elevate its solution, as part of Scottish Enterprise's High Growth Spinout programme.

Over a 20-year period, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, the International Energy Agency says.

Calculations estimate that the Paris Agreement's target of limiting global warming to 1.5C could be helped by reducing methane emissions by 45% by 2030.

Dr Oleg Ishkov, a lead researcher at the university, said research suggests it would take "over 300 years to plug millions of at-risk wells".

"Our technology offers a radical new solution by transforming porous rocks into impermeable barriers, locking harmful gases underground for millennia," he said.

"With Scottish Enterprise's funding, we're now poised to advance our research. It has also allowed us to add two commercial champions to the team in the form of expert advisers."

The plan could prevent millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere every year, researchers say.

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Leah Pape, head of high growth services at Scottish Enterprise, said the project was "at the earliest stage of its scaling journey".

"We're confident that it can fully commercialise its cutting-edge research with our support and encouragement," she added.