Exploration on microbial load and nutrient source in coal-bed methane produced water

ABSTRACT

Coalbedmethane (CBM) is a significant unconventional natural gas source on earth and has been extracted commercially. Numerous environmental questions flank the commercial CBM expansion. This study examined to explore microbial population in produced water of CBM growth in Jharkhand, India. Additionally, the current study focused on understanding the water as an indigenous microbial habitat on biological facts and nutrient accessibility and utilization of produced water and microbes therein. The results suggest the existence of numerous microbial communities (bacteria, archaea, actinomycetes, and fungi) in water, which may add from coal deposit. The isolate was related to Methanobacterium sp., a methanogenic archaebacteria. The study proposed that laboratory-based supplements enhance native microbial growth. Ni, Zn, Cu, Mn, B, Fe, and Se are detected in produced water, and the overall data suggest that nutrients in water may encourage native microbial growth. Therefore, the described work expands our understanding on microbial life in deep-underground in context to geomicrobiology of that region. Furthermore, it offers insight into the utilization of produced water and the abundance of indigenous microbial assemblage may aid in the biotransformation of organic material. Future research is needed to examine the diversity of microbes in water and to identify cost-effective alternatives to chemically defined medium.

KEYWORDS:

• Coalbed water
• microbes
• nutrient
• stimulation

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the CSIR, Govt. of India. All the authors express their sincere thanks to Dr. P. K. Singh, Director of CSIR-CIMFR, for permitting this paper to be published. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the CBM project authority for the given sample.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).