Activity and Extent of Carbon Dioxide and Acetate Utilizing Methanogens in Deep
We have been contending that the enforced geologic sequestration, in old oil fields, of Carbon Dioxide, as arises in a small way, relative to natural sources of emission such as volcanoes and seasonal vegetative rot, from our varied and productive uses of Coal, is nothing but the theft by deceit of a potentially valuable resource.
We have suggested that, after CO2 has been used to force out the last drops of remaining natural petroleum, then it, too, could be pumped back out and converted, by the oil field owner, using variants of the Sabtier or tri-reforming reactions to manufacture Methane; and, the using even more CO2 tri-reformed with that Methane, higher hydrocarbons suitable for refining into liquid fuels.
Their strategy, however, might even be more subtle, more refined.
We earlier documented for you the work of geneticist Craig Venter and his studies of "archeao" bacteria, which are able to metabolize and utilize simple compounds, such as elemental carbon, methane and carbon dioxide, and transform them into higher hydrocarbons.
In this submission, and others to follow, we will start to document the fact that, once Carbon Dioxide is injected into subsurface reservoirs, we can expect, or arrange for, it's conversion by ancient types of bacteria into Methane, which could then conceivably be pumped back out of the reservoirs and either used in it's traditional role as natural gas, or, via technologies we've documented and will further document, be both directly converted into liquid fuels or tri-reformed, with additional Carbon Dioxide, to synthesize liquid hydrocarbons.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"Title: Activity and Extent of Carbon Dioxide and Acetate Utilizing Methanogens in Deep Organic- rich Aquifers Within the Illinois Basin, USA
Authors: Schlegel, M.E.; Bates, B.L.; McIntosh, J.C.
Affiliation: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Publication: American Geophysical Union; Fall Meeting, 2008
Abstract: Global climate change and rising energy demands are motivating investigations of CO2 sequestration in deep geologic reservoirs within interior sedimentary basins, such as the Illinois Basin. Here in the organic rich Upper Devonian New Albany Shale and Pennsylvanian coal beds, potential CO2 sequestration sites coincide with microbial communities that are actively producing economic volumes of methane. Microbes generate methane via two major metabolic pathways, CO2 reduction and acetate fermentation. Injecting CO2 into organic-rich reservoirs may affect in-situ microbial communities and may result in enhanced methane generation, however predicting these affects is difficult unless accompanied by an understanding of the distribution and activity of life in the deep biosphere in various hydrogeochemical settings. This study investigates the extent, controls on, and metabolic pathways for methane generation in the New Albany Shale and Pennsylvanian coalbeds across the eastern margin of the Illinois Basin. We hypothesize that CO2 reduction is the dominant metabolic pathway, however acetate fermentation is enhanced in areas where there is more labile organic matter, lower salinity concentrations, and more rapid recharge rates, such as in shallow coal zones and near the shale subcrop. To test this hypothesis we coupled compound specific isotopes of CO2, CH4, DIC, and H2O with acetate, cation, and anion concentrations, and microbial studies to determine the extent of acetoclastic versus hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, groundwater residence times, and major environmental controls on metabolic pathways. These results have implications for CO2 sequestration and stimulation of methanogenesis in deep organic rich formations, which may help to reduce global impacts of climate change and prolong economic reservoirs of methane."
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Two statements bear emphasis: "Injecting CO2 into organic-rich reservoirs may affect in-situ microbial communities and may result in enhanced methane generation", and, these "results have implications for CO2 sequestration and stimulation of methanogenesis in deep organic rich formations, which may help to reduce global impacts of climate change and prolong economic reservoirs of methane."
Depleted natural petroleum reservoirs do qualify as "deep organic rich formations".
And, the "economic reservoirs of methane" will be prolonged because we miners and users of coal will be compelled to pay for the transport to nearly-depleted oil fields, of our effluent CO2, and it's geologic sequestration there by the oil field operator. The methanogenic bacteria will then get to work transforming the CO2 into commercial deposits of Methane.
Never mind that, to begin with, our CO2 pushes more petroleum out of the ground for the oil operator in the course of it's being pumped, at Coal people's expense, underground.
Once the CO2 is underground, with residual petroleum available as an at least supplemental Hydrogen source, arrangements could be made to inoculate the cache of CO2 with appropriate and, perhaps, as some have proposed, genetically engineered "Methanogens", as in the enclosed article, and then, at some future time, harvest a commercial "crop" of Methane - which can then be used, via multiple process, alone or in combination with Coal-derived synthesis gas or more Carbon Dioxide, to synthesize liquid fuels.
Do we, all of us resident in US Coal Country, really want to be compelled by our government to, through mandated Carbon capture and sequestration, at the coal industry's expense, subsidize the manufacture of a liquid fuel raw material for the oil industry?
