Mitigation of ventilation air methane (VAM) using novel methanotrophic coating materials: a technical analysis

Abstract

Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) is a potent greenhouse gas source originating from geological wells, current and extinct mineshafts and other terrestrial conduits venting methane to the atmosphere, contributing to global methane emissions and disproportionate warming potential. Herein, we introduce the concept of the methanotrophic material as an engineering solution. Such materials should be capable of converting methane at ambient temperatures and pressures to a binder product, capturing and permanently sequestering the methane while simultaneously restricting its further emission. While such materials are currently under research development, this goal is supported and facilities by the mathematical framework, introduced and used herein, to evaluate the ability to convert methane, using currently published activity data. We include a case study of the conversion of a characteristic stream of ventilation air methane (0.6% methane in air, 1.7⋅108 L hr-1 equivalent to 100,000 standard cubic feet per minute). We show that when appropriately designed, such systems require a surface coverage of less than 1,000 meters of mine tunnel length (equivalent to 20,000 m2 areal coverage) in order to reduce the methane emission from this stream by over 99%. Finally, we highlight formaldehyde as a reactive intermediate of methane oxidation which may itself be incorporated into these coating materials. As a component of binders and polymers already used ubiquitously in commercial products, this intermediate ultimately allows these systems to sequester the carbon from methane in a stable and solid form. The results presented here are easily extended to the treatment of other methane streams—either more concentrated or dilute—and the results herein will guide the design and development of a new class of carbon-negative materials.

Research on the Intelligent Planning of Mine Fire Evacuation Routes Based on a Multifactor Coupling Analysis

“…The calculation of the equivalent length involves both static and dynamic parameters. Adjusting the dynamic parameters allows for a more reasonable determination of the equivalent length of mine tunnels [13,14]. In the process of calculating equivalent length, there is often a tendency to overlook changes in personnel walking speeds, a failure to consider real-time updating edge weights in tunnels under underground disaster conditions, and neglect of real-time changes in air composition within tunnels, the variations in personnel walking speed during disasters, and the direction of smoke spread.…”