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Review
. 2023 Jan 24;11(2):304.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11020304.

A Review of Biogenic Coalbed Methane Experimental Studies in China

Run Chen  1   2 , Yunxia Bao  1   2 , Yajun Zhang  1   2
Affiliations
Review

A Review of Biogenic Coalbed Methane Experimental Studies in China

Run Chen et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Biogenic coalbed methane (CBM) is an important alternative energy that can help achieve carbon neutrality. Accordingly, its exploration and development have become a research hotspot in the field of fossil energy. In this review, the latest detection technologies for and experimental research on biogenic CBM in China in recent decades are summarized. The factors influencing the generation of biogenic CBM and the identification method of biogenic CBM are systematically analyzed. The technologies to detect biogas and the research methods to study microbial diversity are summarized. The literature shows that biogenic CBM is easily produced in the presence of highly abundant organic matter of low maturity, and the organic matter reaching a certain thickness can compensate for the limitation of biogenic CBM gas production due to the small abundance of organic matter to a certain extent. Biogenic CBM production could be increased in an environment with low salinity, medium alkalinity, and rich Fe2+ and Ni2+ sources. Furthermore, biogenic CBM can be identified by considering three aspects: (1) the presence of gas composition indicators; (2) the content of heavy hydrocarbon; and (3) variation in the abundance of biomarkers. In recent years, research methods to study the microbial community and diversity of CBM-producing environments in China have mainly included 16S rRNA gene library, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and high-throughput sequencing, and the dominant microorganisms have been determined in various basins in China. The results of numerous studies show that the dominant bacterial phyla are commonly Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, while the archaeal fraction mainly includes Methanoculleus, Methanobacterium, Methanocorpusculum, and Methanothrix. This review summarizes and discusses the advances in biogenic CBM production and the associated microbial community in order to promote further development of coal biotransformation and CO2 bio-utilization to meet energy demands under carbon neutrality.

Keywords: biogas reservoirs; biogenic coalbed methane; gas component; microbial community.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 2
Figure 2
Genetic discrimination of coalbed methane (Adapted from [48,64,65,66,67]).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Common molecular approaches to study microbial diversity (Adapted from [30,31,32]). Boxes with bold frames indicate necessary preparatory steps before detection and analysis can be performed; boxes with thin frames represent detection techniques. FISH, fluorescent in situ hybridization; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; T-RFLP, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism; DGGE, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between maceral and gas production (Adapted from [80,81]). (The coal samples of LiangJia coal mines, YiMa coal mines, DaTong coal mines and PanYi coal mines are abbreviated as LJ coal, YM coal, DT coal, and PY coal, respectively, in Figure).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The relationship between pH and gas production (Adapted from [101,102]).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The relationship between Eh and gas production (Adapted from [106,107]). (The coal samples of ShaQu coal mines and YiMa coal mines are abbreviated as SQ and YM, respectively, in Figure).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The relationship between salinity and gas production (Adapted from [101,102]).
Figure 7
Figure 7
The relationship between particle size and gas production (Adapted from [110,111]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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