Microbial methane accumulations have been discovered in multiple coal-bearing basins over the past two decades. Such discoveries were originally based on unique biogenic signatures in the stable isotopic composition of methane and carbon dioxide. Basins with microbial methane contain either low-maturity coals with predominantly microbial methane gas or uplifted coals containing older, thermogenic gas mixed with more recently produced microbial methane. Recent advances in genomics have allowed further evaluation of the source of microbial methane, through the use of high-throughput phylogenetic sequencing and fluorescent in situ hybridization, to describe the diversity and abundance of bacteria and methanogenic archaea in these subsurface formations. However, the anaerobic metabolism of the bacteria breaking coal down to methanogenic substrates, the likely rate-limiting step in biogenic gas production, is not fully understood. Coal molecules are more recalcitrant to biodegradation with increasing thermal m...

Biogeochemistry of Microbial Coal-Bed Methane

https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/651108.pdf

Application of organic petrography in North American shale petroleum systems: A review

Paleobotanical and paleoecological constraints on models of peat formation in the Late Carboniferous of Euramerica

Geological controls on prediction of coalbed methane of No. 3 coal seam in Southern Qinshui Basin, North China

On the fundamental difference between coal rank and coal type

Geologic controls on thermal maturity patterns in Pennsylvanian coal-bearing rocks in the Appalachian basin

Paleoecological interpretation of a middle Pennsylvanian coal bed in the central Appalachian basin, U.S.A.

Brown coal maceral distributions in a modern domed tropical Indonesian peat and a comparison with maceral distributions in Middle Pennsylvanian–age Appalachian bituminous coal beds

Palynologic and petrographic characteristics of two Middle Pennsylvanian coal beds and a probable modern analogue

The relationship between maceral content plus mineral matter and gross calorific value (GCV) for a wide range of West Virginia coal samples (from 6518 to 15330 BTU/lb; 15.16 to 35.66 MJ/kg) has been investigated by multivariable regression and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The stepwise least square mathematical method comparison between liptinite, vitrinite, plus mineral matter as input data sets with measured GCV reported a nonlinear correlation coefficient (R 2) of 0.83. Using the same data set the correlation between the predicted GCV from the ANFIS model and the actual GCV reported a R 2 value of 0.96. It was determined that the GCV-based prediction methods, as used in this article, can provide a reasonable estimation of GCV.

William C. Grady

Papers

Geologic controls on thermal maturity patterns in Pennsylvanian coal-bearing rocks in the Appalachian basin

Paleoecological interpretation of a middle Pennsylvanian coal bed in the central Appalachian basin, U.S.A.

Brown coal maceral distributions in a modern domed tropical Indonesian peat and a comparison with maceral distributions in Middle Pennsylvanian–age Appalachian bituminous coal beds

Palynologic and petrographic characteristics of two Middle Pennsylvanian coal beds and a probable modern analogue

Study Relationship between Inorganic and Organic Coal Analysis with Gross Calorific Value by Multiple Regression and ANFIS