About Coal bed methane (CBM)

• It is an important unconventional gas occurring naturally in coal beds, is increasingly being used for industrial and utility purposes.
• It is a form of natural gas which can be recovered from coal deposits or coal seams (a coal deposit is a geographical location containing mineable accumulations of coal while a coal seam is entrapment of coal in underlying rock).

Coal Bed Methane Used for

Coal bed methane and its by-products are suitable for a host of industrial applications, notably:

• Power Generation: In the last few decades, CBM has become increasingly used as a source of energy in North America. For example, it can be used in place of natural gas in gas turbines for power generation.
• Manufacturing: CBM can also be used as a feedstock for manufacturing fertilizers and plastics.
• Transportation: Coal bed methane can be converted into other types of hydrocarbons like diesel and gasoline commonly used as fuel for automobiles.

India’s CBM potential

• India has the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world, and CBM has been looked at as a clean alternative fuel with significant prospects.
• India’s CBM resources are estimated at around 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF), or 2,600 billion cubic metres (BCM).
• The country’s coal and CBM reserves are found in 12 states of India, with the Gondwana sediments of eastern India holding the bulk.
• The Damodar Koel valley and Son valley are prospective areas for CBM development.

Challenges and concerns related to it are 

• Methane is a greenhouse gas emitted through CBM extraction. Global methane emissions from coal mines are projected to account for approximately 8 percent of total global methane emissions.
• Disturbance of lands drilled and its effect on wildlife habitats results in ecosystem damage.
• CBM production behaviour is complex and difficult to predict in the early stages of recovery.
• Another concern is the effect water discharges from CBM development could potentially have on downstream water sources.
• Disposal of the highly salinized water that must be removed in order to release the methane creates a challenge, as its introduction into freshwater ecosystems could have adverse effects.