Of Methane from Coal....

After oil, the deserts of Barmer are poised to produce methane gas. For the first time in the country, methane gas will be extracted from the coals fields of Barmer through the ‘microbial coal conversion’ technology, developed in the laboratories of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra (BITM). The Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Ltd. has allotted some blocks of coal mines in Barmer for the exploration and extraction of bio methane commercially. The production is likely to start from December, 2012.
In search for clean energy, BITM team, under the guidance of professor AS Vidyarthi, has conducted trials for producing methane and tapping the stranded gas in the coal beds. A series of research models were also developed for producing methane from coal.
What’s new is the commercial implementation of the project.
Rajasthan has been chosen for its huge deposits of lignite coal deposits. Lignite is the primary form of coal and has loose bonds which allow the microbes to enter easily and generate methane through chemical reaction.
The newly developed technology holds a lot of promise for a power-starved country like India.
It is estimated that on an average only 22% of the coal is extracted from the bed and rest of it lies unexploited.