Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Safe Operation of Catalytic Reactors for the Oxidation of VAM Operating Under Abnormal Reaction Conditions

The catalyst Pd/TS-1 has shown excellent activity in oxidising ventilation air methane (VAM) and excellent resistance to water vapor poisoning. This report outlines the project undertaken to evaluate the inherent safety of a catalytic system for the mitigation of fugitive VAM emissions. The ....  read more

Selective Absorption of Methane by Ionic Liquids (SAMIL)

This third and final stage of this project was the culmination of a multi-phase program of work investigating the applicability of ionic liquids for the selective absorption of methane from ventilation air. The program of work consisted of three phases:

• C27008 Selective absorption

Low-cost catalyst materials for effective VAM catalytic oxidation

Application of ventilation air methane (VAM) thermal oxidiser requires high temperatures (over 1000°C), which causes sintering and ceramic corrosion with CaO generated from stone dust decomposition over 950°C and requires special and high cost ceramic materials for the bed. Alternatively, ....  read more

Novel Stone Dust Looping Process for Ventilation Air Methane Abatement

This multi‐phase project is concerned with the mitigation of mine site greenhouse gases (GHG) and specifically focuses on the development and demonstration of a novel stone dust looping (SDL) process for the abatement of ventilation air methane (VAM). The relevant research and ....  read more

Optimisation of a Thermal Flow Reversal Reactor for Ventilation Air Methane Mitigation

Ventilation air methane (VAM) generally accounts for 50-85% of the total fugitive emissions from an underground coal mine depending on mine site conditions. VAM presents a challenge to mitigation or use as an energy source because VAM represents the largest proportion of methane emissions from ....  read more

The Optimisation and Application of Hybrid Chequer Bricks in Regenerative Thermal Oxidisers for VAM Abatement

The capture and use of ventilation air methane (VAM) is regarded as one the most effective means of mitigating fugitive methane emissions in underground coal mines. Methane is the most potent of the greenhouse gases which is emitted during the production and transportation of coal, natural gas ....  read more

CFD Modelling of Reverse Thermal Oxidisers for VAM Abatement - CFD Modelling of Fixed-bed RTO Devices

The project is part of a larger multi‐phase program of study aimed at Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling of Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) abatement systems. It has been well established in the literature that VAM abatement can be achieved through a variety of alternative ways ....  read more

Technological Assessment of a Recycle Reactor for VAM Abatement

Underground coal mining emits high volumes of methane, diluted in ventilation air to between 0.4 and 1%. As this is below the lower flammability limit of methane, alternative mitigation techniques need to be examined. This project examined the potential of catalytic combustion, where methane ....  read more

Selective Absorption of Methane by Ionic Liquids

The connection of a ventilation air methane (VAM) abatement plant directly to a ventilation shaft raises significant safety issues for underground coal mines. Eliminating the risk of a fire or explosion caused by an abatement plant is considered a step-change in abatement technology. To ....  read more

Proof-of-Concept Photocatalytic Destruction of Methane for Coal Mining Fugitive Emissions Abatement

Australia's fugitive emissions in 2015 were 41 Mt CO2-e (representing 8% of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions), of which 27 Mt CO2-e were from coal mining. Over 60% of total coal mining fugitive emissions are from underground mines. The majority of underground mining fugitive ....  read more

VAM Enrichment with a Two-stage Adsorption Process

Treatment of ventilation air methane (VAM) with cost-effective technologies has been an on-going challenge due to its high volumetric flow rate with low and variable methane concentrations. As part of CSIRO's approaches to tackle the challenges, this project is about VAM enrichment with ....  read more

Improving Methods for Quantifying Fugitive Emissions from Open Cut Coal Mining

Fugitive emissions from open cut coal mines are usually estimated for the purposes of reporting under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting legislation using either Method 2 or 3. These methods are based on measuring in situ gas content of strata ahead of mining, which combined with the ....  read more

Flame Arresting Mechanisms and Flameproof Device for VAM Mitigation

The overall goal of this project was to study the gas flammability limits, and flame propagation and extinction mechanism, and to develop a flameproof device for the ventilation air methane (VAM) mitigation units. The following research tasks were successfully completed:

· Modelling ....  read more

Development of a catalytic mitigation system for VAM - Stage 3 - 20 litre per min VAM flow Technical Development Unit

This report describes work undertaken towards the development of a process for the catalytic conversion of Ventilation Air Methane (VAM).

1. The reactor operating at up to 20 l min-1 VAM flow rate. The performance of a combustion catalyst is examined, focussing the performance ....  read more

VAM Abatement Technology Assessment Tool

The VAM Abatement Technology Assessment Tool (VAMATA) is developed for evaluating various VAM abatement technologies based on the capital expenditure, Greenhouse gas reduction, and environmental impact factors. After consulting with ACARP and other research groups, twelve items are evaluated ....  read more

The Role of Hydrogeology, in situ Stress and Temperature Logs in the Distribution and Delineation of Coal Seam Gas Regimes

This thesis explores mechanisms that determine coal seam gas (CSG) distribution and methods for its delineation. Understanding the distribution of gas content and composition underpins exploration and forecasting, as well as estimation of fugitive emissions from coal mines. Coal seam gas ....  read more

Particulate Matter Characteristics of Mine Ventilation Air for Designing Methane Mitigation Technologies

Australian Standard Source sampling methods AS 4323.1-1995 and AS 4323.2-1995 have been utilised and shown to be appropriate standard methods for isokinetically sampling particles from ventilation systems of some underground mines. These standard methods provide a basis for the installation of ....  read more

Development of New Generation Carbon Composites for VAM Capture

Capturing ventilation air methane (VAM) as a way of fugitive methane mitigation, and using it as a clean energy source has been a challenging issue because of its large quantity and low methane level (0.3-1%). It is important to capture the fugitive methane in a cost-effective way. For VAM ....  read more

Horizontal Post Drainage Design

Coal mine gas has been ranked as the number one critical issue to be addressed to achieve high production rates from longwall (LW) faces and is probably the most significant single factor that will constrain future mining productivity from LW mines in Australia. Increased LW retreat and ....  read more

Instrumentation for Measuring Fugitive Emissions in Ventilation Air from Underground Coal Mines

Fugitive emissions are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from the Australian coal industry, most of which are associated with the ventilation air from underground mining. Under the requirements of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act, Australian coal mines must report ....  read more

Linear Gas Flow Measurement System For Gas Drainage Boreholes

Requests for this project report will also receive a copy of C17056.

Currently a coal seam gas drainage borehole flow is only measured at the well collar. This does not provide any information on where the gas flow originated and how effective the gas drainage was ....  read more

Novel Cost-effective Ventilation Air Methane Mitigator

The overall project goal was to develop a novel self-sustaining mine ventilation air methane (VAM) mitigator in a scalable format, and demonstrate it at an Australian mine as a step towards commercial uptake. The specific objectives were to design and construct a 0.5 Nm3/s VAM mitigator ....  read more

Nitrogen In Coal And Its Implications On Gas Content Testing: Occurrence Of Biogenic N2 In Coal Seam Gas

Frequently large volumes of nitrogen gas (N2) are reported in desorbed gas from coal using the standard gas content testing method. This study was undertaken to investigate the hypothesis of N2 generation from microbial activities in coal. This is critical for both estimating greenhouse gas ....  read more

Removal of Methane from Mine Ventilation Air by Biofiltration

This project examined the feasibility of biofiltration technology, using coal as the support medium, for removing methane from mine ventilation air (MVA). A laboratory-scale biofiltration system was designed and packed with coal from Appin Colliery. The extent and robustness of methane removal ....  read more

Estimation Of The Residual Gas Content In Mined Coal And Coal Waste

This report presents the results of a project on the behaviour of residual gas in mined coal and waste components after mining. The objective of the project is to estimate the residual gas content in product and waste coal at the point of disposal as this may represent an important factor in ....  read more

Guidelines for the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting (C20005) and Technical Discussion of the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting (C20005A)

The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007(Act), the Regulations made under that Act and the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008 (the Determination) establish the legislative framework for a national greenhouse and ....  read more

Q3 or Residual Gas Volume Changes Over Time

The objective of this project was to explore the relationship between residual gas (Q3) and lost and desorbable gas (Q1 and Q2) as a component of total desorbable gas (Qm), determine the Method Detection Limit (MDL), Practical Quantitation Limit (PQL) and uncertainty for Q3 and evaluate the ....  read more

Towards An Optimal Gas Sampling And Estimation Guideline For GHG Emissions From Open Cut Coal Mines

This report describes an approach for estimating fugitive gas emissions from open cut coal mines in line with the Tier 3 model developed by previous ACARP project C15076 (Saghafi, 2008). The model requires gas content, gas composition and the thickness and position of coal seams and ....  read more

Developing a Procedure for Estimating Fugitive Emissions from Underground Coal Mines

With the introduction of the National Greenhouse and Energy Act 2007 (NGER Act), registered corporations are required to report their annual greenhouse emissions if they exceed specified thresholds. Fugitive emissions from coal mining are reportable but the methodology currently proposed in the ....  read more

The Feasibility Of Enhanced Gas Drainage For Coal Mine Operations

This report presents the findings of ACARP project C17055 which investigated the feasibility of enhanced coal seam gas drainage for coal mining. Enhanced drainage has the potential to increase the recovery of coal seam gas over normal drainage methods. It involves the injection of a gas, such ....  read more

Strategic Review Of Gas Management Options For Reduced GHG Emissions

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Australian coal mining industry, it has been identified that there is a fundamental need for review and development of novel strategies for gas and ventilation management in coal mines. Gas management has also been ranked as the number one ....  read more

Linear Gas Flow Measurement System for Gas Drainage Boreholes

Requests for this project report will also receive a copy of C19057.

The coal mining and coal seam gas industry routinely uses long in-seam boreholes (up to 2000m) for extraction of gas from coal.  The monitoring of gas flow from these holes is usually carried out at the borehole collar ....  read more

The Oxidation of Methane in Mine Ventilation Air Using Porous Burner Technology

One of the key challenges facing the Australian coal industry is to improve the sustainability of its operations and products. Previous research has demonstrated that significant gains can be made by mitigating the methane contained in mine ventilation air (MVA). Converting this methane into ....  read more

Gas Emission Expert Model For Abandoned Coal Mines

This project is a continuation of ACARP Projects C13007 and C14080 (Lunagas 2005 & 2006) which updates previous mathematical formulae and decline curves and utilises new data, information and the research findings.

The research has consolidated the knowledge of gas emission ....  read more

Adsorption-based Enrichment and Stabilization of Methane in Mine Ventilation Air (MVA)

This report briefly examines the application of adsorption technology to the enrichment of methane in mine ventilation air (MVA). The aim of the study was to determine if adsorption technology is capable of providing enrichment of methane to the required level (assumed to be 1%v/v) to feed a ....  read more

Evaluating a Tier 3 Method for Estimating Figitive Emissions from Open Cut Coal Mining

Fugitive emissions from open cut coal mines arise when coal and associated strata are broken and disturbed as part of the mining process, liberating the seam gas that might be trapped within coal seams.  The IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change) recommends using an ....  read more

Spontaneous Combustion in Open Cut Coal Mines

Open-cut coal mining produces large quantities of waste material that must be disposed of around the mine site. Some of this material may be sufficiently reactive to begin to self-heat which can ultimately lead to spontaneous combustion in the spoil piles at some mines. Although a great deal ....  read more

Emissions Roadmap Resource Manual: Report 1: Tier 2-Tier 3 Reporting Requirements for Fugitive Emissions from Open Cut Coal Mining - Workshop Report. Report 2: Mine Site Atmospheric Emissions Manual Rpt 3: Roadmap of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Coal Prod

Fugitive seam gas emissions contribute a significant proportion of the greenhouse gases emitted from coal mining, but estimates remain subject to a large uncertainty.  Since 1998 ACARP has funded a range of projects with the objective on improving the accuracy of emissions ....  read more

Mitigation of Methane in Mine Ventilation Air - 2006 Status Report

This report describes the findings of an assessment of options for the mitigation of methane in mine ventilation air. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with around 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Worldwide, methane is second only to carbon dioxide as a  ....  read more

Technical and Economic Assessment of Mine Methane Mitigation and Utilisation Technologies

Coal mine methane (CMM) is not only a greenhouse gas but also a wasted energy resource if not utilised. This project addressed technical and economic merits/issues of the ventilation air methane (VAM) mitigation and utilisation technologies when implemented at mine sites, with a ....  read more

Australian Decommissioned Mines Gas Prediction

A previous ACARP project C13007 Gas Emission Curves For Sealed Goaves Or Abandoned Mines established gas emission decay curves for dry coal mines. The gas emission characteristics following cessation of coal production fall  ....  read more

Cogeneration for Mine Water Management

Mitigation of mine methane streams and management of mine water are two important environment issues for coal mines in Australia.  Technologies such as gas engines using high concentration mine methane and the Megtec Vocsidizer using low concentration methane are being applied as  ....  read more

Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Low Temperature Oxidation and Spontaneous Combustion at Surface Coal Mines in Australia

Greenhouse gas emissions from low temperature oxidation and spontaneous combustion from surface coal mines continue to be difficult to quantify and, as a result, are not included in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) inventory of greenhouse emissions. However, this ....  read more

Variability in Gas Reservoir Parameters that Impact on Emissions Estimations for Australian Black Coals

A database of some 2000 boreholes with confidential measurements of gas reservoir parameters of various seams from mines across the Hunter Valley and Central Bowen Basin coalfield were compiled to examine the inherent variability of parameters used to estimate gas emissions from coal. ....  read more

Pre-mining Gas Technologies Optimisation

Gas emissions and problems in the Australian coalmines have increased significantly in recent years with some mines reaching greater depths and with a steep rise in longwall production levels and panel sizes. Traditionally, the main objective of the gas drainage operations is to meet ....  read more

Development of an Improved Methodology for Estimation of Fugitive Seam Gas Emissions from Open Cut Mining

The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the year 2002 (Australian Greenhouse Office) estimated the total fugitive emissions from both underground and open-cut mining to be 17,456 ktonne CO 2 equivalent which represents 3.2 percent of the total national emissions for that year. Of these ....  read more

The Conversion of Methane from Coal Mines to Chemicals

This report was commissioned to assess the potential for targeted R&D programs to lead to opportunities for commercial use of coal mine methane as a feed gas for chemicals production.  It broadly concludes that such opportunities are limited at best.

Synthesis routes ....  read more

Characterisation and Cleaning of Mine Ventilation Air Flows

Coal mine methane (CMM) is not only a greenhouse gas but also a wasted energy resource if not utilised.  Underground mining is by far the most important source of fugitive methane that is amenable to mitigation, and approximately 70% of all coal mining related emissions are ....  read more

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measurement - Overseas Practice

This report surveys the coal sector fugitive emissions estimation practices of the major coal producing nations of the world. These include: Australia, Canada, China, Columbia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, South Africa and the United States.

There is potential ....  read more

Technology Roadmap for CO2 Sequestration into Coal Seams

Reducing greenhouse gas production from coal fired electric power production is the major environmental issue for coal use in future energy options. CO 2 sequestration is a technology that can, in principle, contribute to a reduction in net CO 2 emissions. Of the possibilities available for ....  read more

The Catalytic Combustion of Low and Variable Methane Concentrations Pertinent to Mine Vented Air

The possibilities of oxidizing mine ventilation air (MVA) containing up to 1% methane over a catalyst have been reviewed. It appears possible to catalytically combust methane in varying concentrations up to 4% using a palladium on alumina catalyst. It will be necessary to mount the catalyst ....  read more

Methane Recovery from Low and Variable Concentrations in Mine Ventilation Air: A Review of Adsorption and Membrane Separation

Coal mine ventilation air typically contains around 0.5% methane, although this is highly variable. With the large air flows involved in a typical mine, methane is being vented at around 1kg/s. Methane is approximately twenty-one times worse as a greenhouse gas than ....  read more

Design of a Remote Methane Detector (RMD) for the Coal Industry

Currently, the coal industry has no way of measuring the overall emissions from open-cut mines. At best, they rely on spot measurements and a general knowledge of:

• The gas content of the mined coal
• The gas content of unmined coal and discarded low

Coal Mine Waste Utilisation in NSW and Qld

This report gives an assessment of options to utilise coal mine wastes (carboniferous, drainage gas and ventilation air) for electricity generation.

The main objectives of the study were to understand the basis for potential savings in greenhouse gas emissions, and overall ....  read more

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Spontaneous Combustion at Open Cut Coal Mines: An Investigation of Air Quality Modelling and Inverse Techniques

While spontaneous combustion of coal has been recognised by the Inter-Governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) as a potential source of greenhouse gas emissions, it has been excluded from greenhouse gas inventories as it is considered that there is no acceptable method for ....  read more

Self Reporting Database for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The project has developed a greenhouse gas reporting database for use by coal mines which calculates the greenhouse gas emissions from mines using standardised inputs and emission factors. It allows mines to track the major categories of emissions through time, recording the ....  read more

Catalytic Combustion Gas Turbine for Methane Use: Report 1: Catalytic Combustion Lean Gas Turbine, a

The outcomes of this project are published as two reports.  The first summarises the findings of a project aimed at developing a mine ventilation air methane catalytic combustion gas turbine. The second report details the design and testing of new technology that involves the combustion ....  read more

Mine Gas Quality Control: Methane Purification

Mine methane has several differing natures, being simultaneously a safety hazard, a Greenhouse gas and a potentially saleable product. It is therefore to the advantage of mine operators to evaluate if the waste methane can be processed to economic advantage, while also reducing ....  read more

Toward the Development of an Improved Methodology For Estimating Fugitive Seam Gas Emissions From Open Cut Mining

The project goal was to develop a method for estimating fugitive emissions such that an individual mine could estimate its own emissions based on data related to coal gas properties and mining method. In the proposal for this work it was intended that the method would be based on:

• gas

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation through Collection and Utilisation of High Volume Low Concentration Methane Emissions

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is an objective of Government, industry and the community generally in an attempt to reduce the possible risk of global warming from GHG emissions.

Utilisation of methane in ventilation air, although not in general use, presents an opportunity to ....  read more

An Evaluation of the Use of Airborne Infra-Red Thermography as a Method for Monitoring Spontaneous C

The objectives of the project were to develop a method for estimating and monitoring the extent of spontaneous combustion in open cut coal mines using airborne infra-red thermography and use the temperature data from the infra-red surveys to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from spontaneous ....  read more

Demonstration of Megtec Vocsidizer for Methane Utilisation

Currently, utilisation of coal mine methane is generally limited to d rained methane. Mine ventilation air exhaust (MVAE) now represents the single largest opportunity in coal mining for further reduction of methane emissions and hence greenhouse gas emissions. There is also the potential ....  read more

Technology Options for Coal Mine Methane

Coal is coming under increasing pressure from competing fuels, mainly on environmental grounds, and is not necessarily the fuel of first choice for many nations. Consequently, the sustainable use of coal is a major global issue for coal producers and users alike, and is the subject of a range ....  read more

Coal Mine Greenhouse Gas Emission Measurement Accuracy

Coal is coming under increasing pressure from competing fuels, mainly on environmental grounds. Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production of coal, while a minor component in a global sense, are unique in that  ....  read more

Assessment of Bowen Basin Seam Gas Reserves

This study was conducted in two parts: A feasibility study of pipeline options, conducted by Gutteridge Haskins & Davey and an assessment of seam gas reserves, conducted by CSIRO Exploration & Mining.  The first part reviews the alternative pipeline scenarios available for ....  read more

Assessment of Bowen Basin Seam Gas Reserves

This study was conducted in two parts: A feasibility study of pipeline options, conducted by Gutteridge Haskins & Davey and an assessment of seam gas reserves, conducted by CSIRO Exploration & Mining.  The first part reviews the alternative pipeline scenarios available for ....  read more

Measuring and Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The aim of this project is to develop draft greenhouse management and mitigation guidelines, including a set of key emission indicators for greenhouse gas, supported by standardised monitoring and reporting methods.

Fugitive emission of CH4 is the most significant source of greenhouse ....  read more

Bowen Basin Gas Pipeline Feasibility Study

This study was conducted in two parts: A feasibility study of pipeline options, conducted by Gutteridge Haskins & Davey and an assessment of seam gas reserves, conducted by CSIRO Exploration & Mining.  The first part reviews the alternative pipeline scenarios available for ....  read more

Measurement of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Spontaneous Combustion in Open Cut Coal Mining

The overall objective of the project was to provide methods, supported by direct measurement, to quantify the emissions of greenhouse gases from spontaneous combustion in Australian open cut coal mining.

Measurements, using a chamber technique, were carried out at eleven mine sites in ....  read more

Application of Oil Industry Technology for Immediate GHG Mitigation In the Australian Coal Industry

This study was commissioned to identify oil industry technologies which are able to contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation in the Australian coal industry.  Concept studies have been performed for selected technologies. These studies show that:

• The most cost effective

Greenhouse Abatement Strategy for the Coal Mining Industry

This project is intended to make a positive contribution to the debate over the impact of domestic and international climate change policy on the coal mining industry, with particular reference to the impact that downstream abatement strategies in the steel and power sectors in key export ....  read more

Methane Capture and Utilisation

The Australian coal mining industry contributes, approximately 6.5% of Australia's greenhouse gas production while producing 1.9% of GDP (1995/96). The coal mining industry's greenhouse intensity is high. Current estimates indicate that 72% of the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the ....  read more

Scoping Study on the Management and Abatement of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Australian black coal mining industry is a very significant component of the Australian economy. It was responsible for exports worth nearly $9 billion in 1997, about 10% of the value of total Australian exports and equivalent to 1% of the country's GDP (Industry Commission Report on ....  read more