Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA.
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA.
Environ Geochem Health. 2018 Aug;40(4):1657-1665. doi: 10.1007/s10653-018-0079-y. Epub 2018 Mar 1.
Coalbed methane (CBM) is an important unconventional energy source and accounts for a substantial portion of the overall natural gas production in the USA. The extraction of CBM generates significant amounts of produced water, where the withdrawal of groundwater may disturb the subsurface environment and aquifers. The release of toxic recalcitrant compounds from the coal seam is of great concern for those who use groundwater for irrigation and potable water sources. Experiments were conducted that determined a small fraction of coal carbon can be extracted and solubilized in water during the CBM formation and production. These soluble components included long-chain alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, and humic compounds. Biometer flask assays demonstrated that these compounds are bioamenable and can be potentially degraded by microorganisms to produce methane and carbon dioxide, where these biodegradation processes may further impact groundwater quality in the coal seam.
煤层气（CBM）是一种重要的非常规能源，在美国的天然气总产量中占很大比重。CBM 的开采会产生大量的采出水，其中地下水的抽取可能会干扰地下环境和含水层。煤层中有毒难降解化合物的释放引起了人们的极大关注，因为这些化合物会被用于灌溉和饮用水源。实验表明，在 CBM 的形成和生产过程中，一小部分煤碳可以被水提取和溶解。这些可溶性成分包括长链烷烃、芳烃和腐殖质化合物。生物计量瓶测定结果表明，这些化合物具有生物可利用性，可能被微生物潜在降解，产生甲烷和二氧化碳，而这些生物降解过程可能进一步影响煤层中的地下水质量。
