Biogenic Methane Cycling in a Laboratory Model of an Abandoned Bituminous Coal Mine |
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Authors: | Maija J. Raudsepp Markus Fluggen Adam H. Shypanski Gene W. Tyson Suzanne D. Golding Gordon Southam |
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Affiliation: | 1. School of Earth &2. Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia;3. Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia;4. Australian Centre for Ecogenomics (ACE), School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia |
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Abstract: | Microbial communities in decommissioned coal mines have the potential to promote methane generation. Here, two 1 m x 10 cm diameter column bioreactors designed to mimic an abandoned coal mine were monitored for a year, with zones of methanogenesis in the bottom, saturated waters and aerobic coal degradation and methane oxidation at the top. The resilience of aerobic methanotrophs to survive periods with low methane and oxygen conditions suggests methanotrophs may be useful in decreasing atmospheric methane fugitive emissions from decommissioned mines. When biogenic methane production from coal did occur, the rate was slow, ≤ 0.073 nmol CH4/g coal/day. |
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Keywords: | Coal mine methanogenesis methanotrophy |
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