June 8, 2012 — Experts from across the globe will gather at the University of Wyoming later this month to share their expertise and knowledge of biogenic natural gas at the Secondary Biogenic Natural Gas International Conference.
The conference is sponsored by the UW School of Energy Resources’ Center for Biogenic Natural Gas Research .
Coal-bed methane, a type of natural gas, can be produced two ways: thermogenically (with pressure and heat) and biogenically (using microbes). Some coal seams in the Powder River Basin in northeast Wyoming contain primarily biogenic gas.
Interest in biogenic natural gas has grown recently with the recognition that the operational life of depleted hydrocarbon reserves may be extended using technologies that promote the activity of indigenous microbial communities. These same technologies could be applied to coal seams throughout the Powder River Basin, aided by the infrastructure already in place to extract and transport coal-bed methane.
