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Old 06-30-2009, 06:30 AM
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Default Bugs eat coal and release methane

I first heard about this technology on a visit to China in 1986 where I met two Russian scientists who talked about the process. More recently there was a spate of reports suggesting that Australia's peak scientific body the CSIRO was researching the method of energy extraction.

This was picked up by Energymatters.com.au and I have excerpted some of their article below:

"CSIRO’s Mohinudeen Faiz said research performed in the Sydney Basin shows that microbial activity can significantly increase the levels of methane in coal seam “sweet spots”. “We are discovering ways to culture micro-organisms that produce methane and pin point the nutrients and environmental conditions that encourage their activity,” Dr Faiz said. “Increasing methane production from coal seam reservoirs would provide a cleaner way to generate power through the use of methane and will mean significant benefits for Australians and the environment,” added Dr Faiz. “Once we can establish the type of environment that encourages growth of the microbes, we plan to stimulate the natural micro-organisms by injecting nutrients that the organisms thrive on, into coal reservoirs,” he said. The project, which is being delivered through the Energy Transformed National Research Flagship in collaboration with industry, is the first of its kind in Australia, according to the CSIRO. “Increasing methane production from coal seam reservoirs would provide a cleaner way to generate power through the use of methane and will mean significant benefits for Australians and the environment,” Dr Faiz said. It is anticipated that the CSIRO technology may ultimately allow microbial conversion of CO2 to methane after injecting CO2 into reservoirs."

On June 28th TimesOnline revisted this topic... again excerpted below:
Craig Venter, the controversial American scientist who helped decode the human genome, has announced the discovery of ancient bacteria that can turn coal into methane, suggesting they may help to solve the world’s energy crisis.
The bugs, discovered a mile underground by one of Venter’s microbial prospecting teams, are said to have unique enzymes that can break down coal. Venter said he was already working with BP on how to exploit the find.
Venter even suggested the discovery could open up the world’s coalfields to an entirely new form of mining, where coal is infected with the bacteria, allowing methane to be harvested “without even digging up the coal”.
Venter, speaking at the recent La Jolla research and innovation summit, in La Jolla, California, told an audience of researchers and technology investors how he had harvested 20m new genes by analysing the DNA of micro-organisms collected underwater or deep underground.
He said: “We have found a huge number of microbes a mile or so deep in the earth. In fact, there is more diversity under the surface of the earth than in the ocean. It is absolutely stunning.
“Some of these underground water sources have been isolated for 50m to 135m years and we have found totally unique organisms.”
Venter flashed up a black-and-white image of a piece of coal that appeared to be carpeted with a mossy substance.
He said: “We have a large number that eat coal and break it down into organic acids, hydrogen, CO2 and so on. Then we have other organisms with enzymes that can take those organic acids, hydrogen and CO2 and make methane.”
Venter added: “We have a deal with BP to look at the biological conversion of coal into natural gas, where microbes colonise coal particles and produce methane.”
He also showed a second image with coal submerged in a liquid from which bubbles, said to be methane, were rising.
He added: “We and BP think we can scale this up substantially to provide a huge increase in the amount of natural gas available without even digging up the coal.”
Such ideas need to be treated with caution. The biotech industry is renowned for making claims that later turn out to have been excessive. This is often driven by the need to attract investors.
Venter does have a good track record, as shown by his lead role in the race to decode the human genome, but his discovery would need far more research and investment before it could be deployed on an industrial scale.
If it worked, however, the potential would be huge. Coal is the world’s most important fossil fuel with about 6.5 billion tons used each year. This is expected to rise by more than 60% by 2030.
This has serious environmental implications because coal is highly polluting, generating more CO2 per ton than any other major fossil fuel.



Read the full article at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6590538.ece

 

Disclaimer: The author of this post, may or may not be a shareholder of any of the companies mentioned in this column. No company mentioned has sponsored or paid for this content. Comments on this forum should never be taken as investment advice.

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