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Title: Enhanced Microbial Pathways for Methane Production from Oil Shale

Abstract

Methane from oil shale can potentially provide a significant contribution to natural gas industry, and it may be possible to increase and continue methane production by artificially enhancing methanogenic activity through the addition of various substrate and nutrient treatments. Western Research Institute in conjunction with Pick & Shovel Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy conducted microcosm and scaled-up reactor studies to investigate the feasibility and optimization of biogenic methane production from oil shale. The microcosm study involving crushed oil shale showed the highest yield of methane was produced from oil shale pretreated with a basic solution and treated with nutrients. Incubation at 30 C, which is the estimated temperature in the subsurface where the oil shale originated, caused and increase in methane production. The methane production eventually decreased when pH of the system was above 9.00. In the scaled-up reactor study, pretreatment of the oil shale with a basic solution, nutrient enhancements, incubation at 30 C, and maintaining pH at circumneutral levels yielded the highest rate of biogenic methane production. From this study, the annual biogenic methane production rate was determined to be as high as 6042 cu. ft/ton oil shale.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
993518
DOE Contract Number:  
FC26-98FT40323
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
03 NATURAL GAS; 04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS; INCUBATION; METHANE; MICROCOSMS; NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY; NUTRIENTS; OIL SHALES; OPTIMIZATION; PRODUCTION; SUBSTRATES

Citation Formats

Fallgren, Paul. Enhanced Microbial Pathways for Methane Production from Oil Shale. United States: N. p., 2009. Web. doi:10.2172/993518.
Fallgren, Paul. Enhanced Microbial Pathways for Methane Production from Oil Shale. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/993518
Fallgren, Paul. 2009. "Enhanced Microbial Pathways for Methane Production from Oil Shale". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/993518. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/993518.
@article{osti_993518,
title = {Enhanced Microbial Pathways for Methane Production from Oil Shale},
author = {Fallgren, Paul},
abstractNote = {Methane from oil shale can potentially provide a significant contribution to natural gas industry, and it may be possible to increase and continue methane production by artificially enhancing methanogenic activity through the addition of various substrate and nutrient treatments. Western Research Institute in conjunction with Pick & Shovel Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy conducted microcosm and scaled-up reactor studies to investigate the feasibility and optimization of biogenic methane production from oil shale. The microcosm study involving crushed oil shale showed the highest yield of methane was produced from oil shale pretreated with a basic solution and treated with nutrients. Incubation at 30 C, which is the estimated temperature in the subsurface where the oil shale originated, caused and increase in methane production. The methane production eventually decreased when pH of the system was above 9.00. In the scaled-up reactor study, pretreatment of the oil shale with a basic solution, nutrient enhancements, incubation at 30 C, and maintaining pH at circumneutral levels yielded the highest rate of biogenic methane production. From this study, the annual biogenic methane production rate was determined to be as high as 6042 cu. ft/ton oil shale.},
doi = {10.2172/993518},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/993518}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2009},
month = {Sun Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2009}
}