Mitigating coal mine methane

Operators of underground coal mines around the world are all too familiar with methane (CH₄), an explosive gas found in coal seams as a by-product of coal formation. Coal seams often contain significant quantities of CH₄ and when released to the atmosphere from gassy mines during coal extraction it constitutes a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, CH₄ emissions from coal mining activities account for approximately 8% of total global human-related methane emissions.

Impact of methane

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, over 20 times as powerful as CO₂ at trapping heat in the atmosphere (on a mass basis over a 100 year timeframe). Since methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime than CO₂ (about 12 years compared to about 200 years for CO₂), reducing methane emissions can achieve significant climate benefits over the next 25 years. In addition, as the principal component of natural gas, methane can provide a clean, locally-available energy resource for coal companies and the surrounding region.

The source of emissions

Coal mine ventilation exhaust air contains very dilute concentrations of CH₄, typically below 1%. Yet the flow rates are so large that ventilation air exhaust constitutes the largest single source of coal mine methane emissions to the atmosphere. In recent years, there have been exciting new developments in harnessing the dilute methane in coal mine ventilation exhaust systems. Each year, underground coal mines throughout the world emit more than 500 billion ft³ of CH₄ from their ventilation systems. Mines that choose to mitigate these emissions can often obtain carbon credits as an additional revenue stream.

Thermal oxidation

There are several technologies that can be used to destroy ventilation air methane (VAM), including catalytic and thermal oxidation, gas turbines, and a hybrid waste coal/VAM rotary kiln. Thermal oxidation using a flow reversal reactor has emerged as a tested and commercially available solution to VAM emission mitigation. If the technology is employed at active underground coal mines, it offers the potential to mitigate substantial quantities of global CH₄ emissions. In addition, oxidisers have the ability to tap the excess heat to produce steam for electric power generation. Two existing projects employing oxidisers are the 6 MW WestVAMP electric power generation facility in Australia (MEGTEC VOCSIDIZER equipment) and the Jim Walter Resources pilot project in Alabama (Biothermica VAMOX technology).

Author: Jayne Somers

Jayne Somers, Ph.D., P.E., United States Environmental Protection Agency Climate Change Division. The US EPA Coalbed Methane Outreach Program promotes the cost-effective recovery and use of methane emitted from coal mining activities.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/cbm/19102009/mitigating_coal_mine_methane/