Methane production from fossil biomass

• Project/Area Number: 20K05404
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 31020:Earth resource engineering, Energy sciences-related
• Research Institution: The University of Kitakyushu
• Principal Investigator: Yanagawa Katsunori 北九州市立大学, 国際環境工学部, 准教授 (50599678)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 前田 憲成 九州工業大学, 大学院生命体工学研究科, 教授 (00470592) ; 原口 昭 北九州市立大学, 国際環境工学部, 教授 (50271630)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: コールベッドメタン / メタン生成 / 泥炭 / 石炭 / メタン

Outline of Research at the Start

石炭中に内包されているメタンなどの天然ガスは，コールベッドメタンまたは炭層ガスと呼ばれ，海外では商業的にも利用されている．本研究は，コールベッドメタンの成因にメタン生成アーキアが関わっている可能性について微生物生態学・生物地球化学の見地からの検証を行う．また，石炭中の微生物を用いて石炭をメタンに変換する生物工学的技術の開発も進め，地下に眠る未利用石炭の有効利用を目指す．

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Coalbed methane is abundant in coal seams. This study aims to elucidate the unknown biogeochemical cycle of methane in fossil biomass and to develop applied research for future sustainable methane production through an interdisciplinary approach of microbial ecology and geochemistry. Numerous microorganisms were found in subbituminous coal and peat samples collected from several sites in northern Kyushu. These samples showed that the microbial diversity was relatively high and included an uncultivated archaeal lineage, which is likely involved in situ methane production. Evaluation of the methanation potential showed that the microbial metabolism depended on the in vitro pH condition.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

石炭中に大量に内包されているメタンを主成分とするガスは，コールベッドメタンと呼ばれる．コールベッドメタンは，非在来型エネルギー資源に位置づけられ新たな天然ガス資源として世界中での注目度も高い．本研究により，物理化学条件を適切に制御したバイオリアクターを設計することで，コールベッドメタン生産の持続的運用に繋がる可能性が示された．

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Kinetics for the Methanogen’s Death in the Acidic Environments (2023)
  • Author(s): Sun Meng、Yanagawa Katsunori、Prasitwuttisak Wipoo、Goel Rajeev、Watanabe Ryuichi、Harada Hidenori、Liu Bing、Terashima Mitsuharu、Yasui Hidenari
  • Journal Title: Journal of Water and Environment Technology Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Pages: 59-75
  • DOI: 10.2965/jwet.22-113
  • ISSN: 1348-2165
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Microbial Community Structures and Methanogenic Functions in Wetland Peat Soils (2022)
  • Author(s): Prasitwuttisak Wipoo、Hoshiko Yuki、Maeda Toshinari、Haraguchi Akira、Yanagawa Katsunori
  • Journal Title: Microbes and Environments Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Pages: n/a
  • DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME22004
  • ISSN: 1342-6311, 1347-4405
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Methanogenic archaeal community structure in estuary sediments of the Onga River, northern Kyushu Island, Japan (2022)
  • Author(s): Wipoo Prasitwuttisak, Shingo Araki, Katsunori Yanagawa
  • Journal Title: Laguna Volume: 29 Pages: 133-143
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Stromatolite formation by Anaerolineae-dominated microbial communities in hot spring travertine in North Sumatra, Indonesia (2022)
  • Author(s): T. Okumura, C. Takashima, K. YanagawaA. HarijokoA.Kano
  • Journal Title: Sedimentary Geology Volume: 440 Pages: 106263106263-106263106263
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2022.106263
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Ubiquity of Euglena mutabilis Population in Three Ecologically Distinct Acidic Habitats in Southwestern Japan (2021)
  • Author(s): Yanagawa Katsunori、Haraguchi Akira、Yoshitake Kai、Asamatsu Katsuhiro、Harano Masanari、Yamashita Kei、Ishibashi Jun-ichiro
  • Journal Title: Water Volume: 13 Issue: 11 Pages: 1570-1570
  • DOI: 10.3390/w13111570
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] A Novel Archaeal Lineage in Boiling Hot Springs around Oyasukyo Gorge (Akita, Japan) (2021)
  • Author(s): Asamatsu Katsuhiro、Yoshitake Kai、Saito Makoto、Prasitwuttisak Wipoo、Ishibashi Jun-ichiro、Tsutsumi Akihi、Mustapha Nurul Asyifah、Maeda Toshinari、Yanagawa Katsunori
  • Journal Title: Microbes and Environments Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Pages: n/a
  • DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME21048
  • NAID: 130008120278
  • ISSN: 1342-6311, 1347-4405
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Effects of low pH conditions on decay of methanogenic biomass (2020)
  • Author(s): Sun Meng、Liu Bing、Yanagawa Katsunori、Ha Nguyen Thi、Goel Rajeev、Terashima Mitsuharu、Yasui Hidenari
  • Journal Title: Water Research Volume: 179 Pages: 115883-115883
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115883
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Members of the microbial dark matter Bathyarchaeia in the wetland ecosystem and their genetic potentials to generate methane (2022)
  • Author(s): Wipoo Prasitwuttisak, Shingo Kato, Katsunori Yanagawa
  • Organizer: 日本Archaea研究会
• [Presentation] Characterization of microbial community responsible for the methane cycling in peat ecosystem in Bogatsuru Wetland, Oita Prefecture, Japan (2020)
  • Author(s): PRASITWUTTISAK, W., YASUI, H., YANAGAWA K.
  • Organizer: Water and Environment Technology Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research