Potential of biogenic methane for pilot-scale fermentation ex situ with lump anthracite and the changes of methanogenic consortia. (1st April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yang, Xiuqing; Chen, Yanmei; Wu, Ruiwei; Nie, Zhiqiang; Han, Zuoying; Tan, Kaili; Chen, Linyong
• Is Part Of: Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology. Volume 45:Number 4(2018)
• Page Start: 229
• Page End: 237
• Publication Date: 2018-04-01
• Subjects: Biogenic methane -- Lump anthracite -- Microbial community -- Pilot-scale fermentation -- Qinshui Basin; Industrial microbiology -- Periodicals; 660.62
• DOI: 10.1007/s10295-018-2023-7
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-5435

Abstract

Abstract: Pilot-scale fermentation is one of the important processes for achieving industrialization of biogenic coalbed methane (CBM), although the mechanism of biogenic CBM remains unknown. In this study, 16 samples of formation water from CBM production wells were collected and enriched for methane production, and the methane content was between 3.1 and 21.4%. The formation water of maximum methane production was used as inoculum source for pilot-scale fermentation. The maximum methane yield of the pilot-scale fermentation with lump anthracite amendment reached 13.66 μmol CH4 /mL, suggesting that indigenous microorganisms from formation water degraded coal to produce methane. Illumina high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the bacterial and archaeal communities in the formation water sample differed greatly from the methanogic water enrichment culture. The hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanocalculus dominated the formation water. Acetoclastic methanogens, from the order Methanosarcinales, dominated coal bioconversion. Thus, the biogenic methanogenic pathway ex situ cannot be simply identified according to methanogenic archaea in the original inoculum. Importantly, this study was the first time to successfully simulate methanogenesis in large-capacity fermentors (160 L) with lump anthracite amendment, and the result was also a realistic case for methane generation in pilot-scale ex situ.