Coal, methane, and nanotech in Alberta

The title of the May 5, 2011 news item on physorg.com looked promising, Turning coal into methane using nanotechnology. From the news item,

Mechanical engineering professor Sushanta Mitra wants to adapt a bioconversion process that occurs naturally over millions of years into a fast-moving production that breaks down coal and captures methane gas in storage tanks. Mitra says bioconversion of coal to methane has great potential for improving the environment globally.

“The standard practice of burning coal for power generation could be reduced and possibly eliminated,” said Mitra. “Bioconversion will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power generation by 25 per cent.”

The process by which coal is changed to methane is called methanogenesis. The researchers are experimenting with a variety of microbial materials, which will be mixed with water and piped underground into coal seams. The research could be applied to coal-based energy production anywhere in the world, says Mitra, and could be of special importance here in Alberta.

I was hoping for a few more details about the nanotechnology aspect of the project but there wasn’t anything more other than Mitra received a $1.92M grant from Carbon Management Canada and he’s hoping to be testing his methane conversion process in a underground coal seam by 2015.

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