Coal Seam Gas—Extraction, Use and Emissions

Dear Colleagues,

Coal seam gas is primarily made up of methane gas, generally 95–98%. This gas is also called coal bed methane (CBM) if extracted from a coal deposit as unconventional natural gas for economic purposes. Coal mine methane (CMM) must be captured for safety reasons and should be utilized. However, not all seam gas can be captured in the mining process. Some of the gas naturally flows to mine workings and is emitted into the atmosphere in a low-concentration form with the ventilation air (VAM), contributing to the greenhouse effect. Increasingly stringent greenhouse gas reduction requirements are resulting in new methods and technologies for optimizing gas recovery from VAM. It should be assumed that gas recovery from ventilation-air methane will feature in new projects for coal extraction from methane-saturated coal seams in the future. Methane emission is also an environmental and safety issue during mine abandonment (AMM).

The Special Issue “Coal Seam Gas—Extraction, Use and Emissions” aims to broaden the scientific and multidisciplinary knowledge exploring the practical aspects of new technologies for the recovery and use of coal seam gas. Therefore, we invite you to publish articles on innovative technical solutions, reviews, case studies, and analytical work on the recognition and estimation of resources and capturing the coal seam gas in underground mines, contributing to reducing emissions and improving work safety. We invite everyone interested in the subject of CBM, CMM, VAM and ACM to share current knowledge with the broad audience of Methane magazine readers.

The potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

1. Identifying and estimating the resources of coal seam gas.
2. Recovery mechanisms for coal seam gas in the mining industry.
3. The migration and release of methane for working during mining operations.
4. Adequate methane drainage and use in coal mines.
5. New methods and new techniques in methane drainage.
6. Methods for improving the efficiency of methane drainage.
7. Analytical and numerical modeling for predicting methane emission into workings.
8. New technologies for ventilation-air methane recovery.
9. Enhancing coalbed methane production.
10. AMM emissions and exploitation.
11. The extraction and use of methane from abandoned mines.
12. Other geological and engineering issues associated with gas-bearing strata enhancing methane recovery and production.

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Obracaj
Guest Editor

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