Coals as methane bioreactors: significance of microbial methane generation in coal seams for coal seam gas (CSG) production and carbon dioxide (CO2) geosequestration

澳大利亚国内和出口的煤层气，在创造国家财富方面可能与煤炭开采相匹敌。该项目旨在证明煤层可以作为生物反应器，利用自然存在的微生物产生甲烷。甲烷可以通过向煤中注入二氧化碳（CO2）来产生，通过将二氧化碳转化为甲烷来创造可持续的清洁燃烧气体供应。一个成功的结果将允许井和相关基础设施的重复使用，显著增加煤层甲烷的产量和储量，可能是几倍，并降低其回收成本。该项目将调查地质、微生物和工程要求来实现这一目标。

Australian coal seam gas, for domestic and export use, potentially rivals coal mining in national wealth creation. This project aims to demonstrate that coal seams can function as bioreactors, using naturally present micro-organisms to generate methane. The methane could come from injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the coal, creating a sustainable supply of clean burning gas by converting the CO2 into methane. A successful outcome will permit the reuse of wells and associated infrastructure, significantly increasing coal seam methane production and reserves, possibly several fold, as well as reducing the cost of their recovery. The project will investigate the geological, microbiological and engineering requirements to accomplish this.