TECHNOLOGY

Luca leverages the ability of naturally occurring microorganisms to convert subsurface hydrocarbon deposits, such as coal, to methane gas. This complex process is susceptible to interruption by various chemical and biological conditions, including traditional coalbed methane development, which involves removing water from the coal seam to reduce pressure and allow previously adsorbed natural gas to flow up a well. As a result, the natural and ongoing biogenic creation of methane gas slows or ceases, with a large mass of unutilized hydrocarbon deposit remaining in place underground. To accelerate biogenic methane gas production rates, Luca uses its proprietary Restoration Process to deliver customized nutrient formulations and water to restore coal reservoir habitats to conditions that may enable native microbial communities to be enhanced to create commercial volumes of natural gas on a real-time basis. Luca produces this newly created natural gas and delivers it to market using existing wells, pipelines and natural gas infrastructure.

Luca's technology allows it to economically and sustainably create natural gas from current wells, thereby utilizing and extending the life of existing natural gas infrastructure, and minimizing Luca's need for new drilling. Luca produces this newly created natural gas from existing wells and delivers it to the natural gas market via existing pipelines. Unlike the traditional exploration and production industry's extraction methods in which production peaks and then steeply declines as stored hydrocarbons are depleted, Luca believes, based on lab and field results, that its Restoration Process economically and sustainably creates low-cost clean energy for many years.

OUR PROCESS

The Luca Restoration Process is designed to sustain the life processes of naturally occurring microbial communities. Luca does not introduce foreign microbes, nor does it rely upon genetically-engineered microorganisms. Microbes are already present in coalbed water and are responsible for biogenic gas creation. The first step in Luca's Restoration Process involves the identification and assessment of underground environments where the native conditions are suitable for microbial life activation, and where the biogenic process has been active in the past. As a second step, Luca performs lab and field studies to assess microbial activation. In the lab, using water and hydrocarbon deposits from a prospective basin, Luca attempts to identify optimal nutrient formulations for methane creation. These nutrient formulations are then field-tested prior to initiation of full commercial activity within an area or basin. For a complete list of materials and concentrations in Luca's nutrient mix, click here.

The third step of Luca's Restoration Process involves circulating its proprietary nutrient formulation to target microbes in the underground reservoir to support the creation of new methane. Nutrient delivery is performed using a mobile nutrient delivery system, which is temporarily installed at a well site. This delivery system houses secure storage of the nutrients, plus the blending and metering equipment needed to control the rate at which nutrients are provided to the microbes in the underground reservoir. Luca's Restoration Process can be applied in two ways. Although most of Luca's restoration activities to date have used a "push-pull" delivery method, Luca is beginning to transition to a "gas farming" method that involves the continuous flow of Luca's nutrient formulations.