Deep coal seams are one of the world’s most widespread deposits for carbon dioxide(C02)disposal and are generally located near large point sources of CO_(2)emissions.The injection of CO_(2)into coal seams has great p...Deep coal seams are one of the world’s most widespread deposits for carbon dioxide(C02)disposal and are generally located near large point sources of CO_(2)emissions.The injection of CO_(2)into coal seams has great potential to sequester CO_(2)while simultaneously enhancing coalbed methane(CO_(2)-ECBM)recovery.Pilot tests of CO_(2)-ECBM have been conducted in coal seams worldwide with favorable early results.However,one of the main technical barriers in coal seams needs to be resolved:Injecting CO_(2)reduces coal permeability and well injectivity.Here,using in situ synchrotron X-ray microtomography,we provide the first observational evidence that injecting nitrogen(N_(2))can reverse much of this lost permeability by reopening fractures that have closed due to coal swelling induced by CO_(2)adsorption.Our findings support the notion that injecting minimally treated flue gas-a mixture of mainly N_(2) and CO_(2)-is an attractive alternative for ECBM recovery instead of pure CO_(2)injection in deep coal seams.Firstly,flue gas produced by power plants could be directly injected after particulate removal,thus avoiding high CO_(2)-separation costs.Secondly,the presence of N_(2)makes it possible to maintain a sufficiently high level of coal permeability.These results suggest that flue-gas ECBM for deep coal seams may provide a promising path toward net-zero emissions from coal mines.展开更多
文摘Deep coal seams are one of the world’s most widespread deposits for carbon dioxide(C02)disposal and are generally located near large point sources of CO_(2)emissions.The injection of CO_(2)into coal seams has great potential to sequester CO_(2)while simultaneously enhancing coalbed methane(CO_(2)-ECBM)recovery.Pilot tests of CO_(2)-ECBM have been conducted in coal seams worldwide with favorable early results.However,one of the main technical barriers in coal seams needs to be resolved:Injecting CO_(2)reduces coal permeability and well injectivity.Here,using in situ synchrotron X-ray microtomography,we provide the first observational evidence that injecting nitrogen(N_(2))can reverse much of this lost permeability by reopening fractures that have closed due to coal swelling induced by CO_(2)adsorption.Our findings support the notion that injecting minimally treated flue gas-a mixture of mainly N_(2) and CO_(2)-is an attractive alternative for ECBM recovery instead of pure CO_(2)injection in deep coal seams.Firstly,flue gas produced by power plants could be directly injected after particulate removal,thus avoiding high CO_(2)-separation costs.Secondly,the presence of N_(2)makes it possible to maintain a sufficiently high level of coal permeability.These results suggest that flue-gas ECBM for deep coal seams may provide a promising path toward net-zero emissions from coal mines.
