Biogenic Methane Generation from Low Rank Coals

Deep surface coal beds tend to hold significant methane resources, which were once active in promoting greenhouse effect during excavation practices, also known as "miner's curse", but later utilizing these as an energy resource helped not only in addressing environmental concerns but providing a means for unconventional natural gas resources as coal bed methane (CBM). While making considerations about the actual contribution of biogenesis to methane accumulations on this planet Earth, one may find opportunity to experience this phenomena on surface, subsurface and below-sea environments in the form of peat lands (surface), conventional and unconventional resources (sub-surface), and gas hydrates (below sea/lake floors). Methane accumulations in sub-surface environments and their stimulation ventures may open up some new eco-economic avenues, thus, making contributions to the exploration of uncultivated energy resorts. However, in a broader perspective, careful deliberation in terms of 3E's i.e., efficiency, environment and economics would be required and these are now three big question marks, which need to be addressed.