Advances in Coalbed Methane Bioengineering: Mechanisms, Key Technologies, and Engineering Challenges

Haodong He

doi:10.62051/

Authors

Haodong He

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62051/

Keywords:

Coalbed methane; Biogenic methane; Bioengineering; Microbial stimulation; Bioaugmentation; Geomicrobiology; Unconventional natural gas.

Abstract

Coalbed methane (CBM) bioengineering has emerged as a promising approach for enhancing methane recovery from low-permeability and marginal coal reservoirs. This study systematically reviews the mechanisms of biogenic methane generation, recent advances in key bioengineering technologies, and the associated engineering challenges. Biogenic methane production in coal seams is driven by a multi-stage anaerobic metabolic network involving hydrolytic, fermentative, and methanogenic microorganisms, in which syntrophic interactions play a critical role in maintaining system stability and efficiency. Recent technological developments have focused on microbial stimulation and bioaugmentation strategies, aiming to enhance methane generation through nutrient regulation and functional microbial consortia. In addition, coupling biological processes with reservoir stimulation techniques, such as hydraulic fracturing and gas injection, has been explored to improve treatment efficiency and expand the effective reaction zone. Advances in monitoring and numerical simulation have further contributed to the understanding and optimization of subsurface biogeochemical processes. Despite these progress, field-scale application remains constrained by reservoir heterogeneity, slow microbial kinetics, and limited process controllability. Moreover, challenges related to microbial stability, substrate conversion efficiency, and environmental risks continue to hinder large-scale deployment. Overall, future research should focus on improving mechanistic understanding, enhancing process control, and integrating multidisciplinary approaches to advance CBM bioengineering toward practical and sustainable applications.

References

[1] Ye, J. P. (2025). China’s CBM exploration and production and associated technological advancements: A review and reflections. Coal Geology & Exploration, 53(1), 114–127.

[2] Su, X. B., Xia, D. P., Zhao, W. Z., et al. (2020). Research advances of coalbed gas bioengineering. Coal Science and Technology, 48(6), 1–30.

[3] Guan, Y. X., Guo, H. Y., Gu, J. Y., et al. (2026). Differential methane production mechanisms revealed by metabolic characterization during anaerobic digestion of coal slime. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(6), 119902.

[4] Guan, Y. X., Guo, H. Y., Wang, H. C., et al. (2026). Synergistic methane production via anaerobic co-digestion of coal slime and sawdust: From substrate interactions to microbial functional responses. Renewable Energy, 258, 124968.

[5] Su, C. Y., Zhou, G. R., Ding, F. X., et al. (2025). Revealing the mechanisms of riboflavin and choline enhances performance of the anaerobic digestion of food waste: Efficiency, microbial communities, and functional genes. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(5), 118225.

[6] Baxter-Plant, V. S., Mikheenko, I. P., Robson, M., et al. (2004). Dehalogenation of chlorinated aromatic compounds using a hybrid bioinorganic catalyst on cells of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. Biotechnology Letters, 26(24), 1885–1890.

[7] Zhang, Q. Q., Wu, L. Y., Huang, J. H., et al. (2022). Recovering short-chain fatty acids from waste sludge via biocarriers and microfiltration enhanced anaerobic fermentation. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 182, 106342.

[8] Liu, T. F., Wang, B. J., Liu, M., et al. (2023). Stutzerimonas frequens strain TF18 with superior heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification ability for the treatment of aquaculture effluent. Process Biochemistry, 130, 156–165.

[9] Li, Y. J., Zhang, Y. Y., Wang, O., et al. (2025). Modification-enhanced microbial electrolysis cell coupled with anaerobic digestion for coal gasification wastewater treatment. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 220, 109767.

[10] Zhao, Z. X., Wu, F., Sun, J., et al. (2024). Metagenomic insights into the mechanism of sophorolipid in facilitating co-anaerobic digestion of mushroom residues and cattle manure: Functional microorganisms and metabolic pathway analysis. Journal of Environmental Management, 370, 123048.

[11] Liu, M. M., Chen, Q. Q., Sun, Y. L., et al. (2022). Probiotic potential of a folate-producing strain Latilactobacillus sakei LZ217 and its modulation effects on human gut microbiota. Foods, 11(2), 234.

[12] Lovley, R. D. (2017). Syntrophy goes electric: Direct interspecies electron transfer. Annual Review of Microbiology, 71(1), 643–664.

[13] Xia, D. P., Hong, J. T., Su, X. B., et al. (2018). Analysis of the influence of iron and nickel on the key enzymes in the process of coal bed methane production. Environmental Engineering, 36(2), 125–130.

[14] Xia, D. P., Chen, X., Su, X. B., et al. (2012). Impact of oxidation-reduction potential on the generation of biogenic methane in low-rank coals. Natural Gas Industry, 32(11), 107–110+125–126.

[15] Su, X. B., Wu, Y., Xia, D. P., et al. (2012). Effect of temperature on biological methane generation of low rank coal. Coal Geology & Exploration, 40(05), 24–26.

[16] Iram, A., Akhtar, K., Ghauri, A. M. (2017). Coal methanogenesis: A review of the need of complex microbial consortia and culture conditions for the effective bioconversion of coal into methane. Annals of Microbiology, 67(3), 275–286.

[17] Shimizu, S., Akiyama, M., Naganuma, T., et al. (2007). Molecular characterization of microbial communities in deep coal seam groundwater of northern Japan. Geobiology, 5(4), 423–433.

[18] Strąpoć, D., Picardal, F. W., Turich, C., et al. (2008). Methane-producing microbial community in a coal bed of the Illinois Basin. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 74(8), 2424–2432.

[19] Zhang, J., Liang, Y., Pandey, R., et al. (2015). Characterizing microbial communities dedicated for conversion of coal to methane in situ and ex situ. International Journal of Coal Geology, 146, 145–154.

[20] Peng, P. A., Hou, D. J., Teng, G. E., et al. (2025). Identification indexes and diagrams for natural gas origin: Connotation, significance and application. Petroleum Exploration and Development, 52(3), 513–525.