WHITE PAPERS

Active Biogenesis of Methane in Wyoming's Powder River Basin
Numerous coal cores were carefully obtained to limit exposure to air during the course of their extraction from the Powder River Basin (PRB) of northeastern Wyoming. These coal samples were examined for their indigenous microbial populations and their ability to support methanogenesis. Significant populations of anaerobic microorganisms and rates of active methanogenesis were detected in nearly all of the tested coals. Conditions were identified that stimulated or inhibited this microbial methane production. Extrapolated results suggest that a large potential bioreservoir for natural gas production exists in these PRB coalfields.
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Residual Oil Deposits as a Substrate for Methane Geobioreactors™
Because their environment is hostile to familiar forms of surface life, oil reservoirs were originally thought to be devoid of life. However, more recent research has revealed that many oil reserves contain a variety of active and diverse microorganisms. In general, these microorganisms have been studied in the context of fouling, souring and degradation of oil reservoirs. Various gases are frequently associated with oil wells and Luca's data indicates that methanogenesis, the creation of methane, is another biological process occurring in some oil reservoirs. In addition to identifying these active systems (Geobioreactors), it will be important to understand the variables that control this overall methanogenic process.
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