Influences of air exposure on methane production and composition of microbiome from coalbed formation water

Abstract:

Microbially enhanced coalbed methane production has become a research hotspot of coalbed methane production in recent years. Methanogens, the essential microorganisms in coalbed methane production, are usually strictly anaerobic and sensitive to oxygen. [Objective] To understand the changes in the methane production and composition of the anaerobic microbiome after exposure to oxygen, we conducted the enrichment culture of coalbed formation water collected from different regions along the east edge of Ordos Basin in China for air exposure experiments. Our findings are expected to provide scientific support for the future in-situ utilization of large-scale anaerobic fermentation products in coalbed methane production. [Methods] We used the enrichment cultures of coalbed formation water collected from Hancheng (HC), Baode (BD), and Linfen (LF) for air exposure for a series of time schedules within 24 h. The air-exposed enrichment cultures were re-inoculated and cultured. The methane production and community succession were analyzed to evaluate the microbiome tolerance to the aerobic condition. [Results] The microorganisms in all the three regions were still active after 24 hours of air exposure and showed the methane production comparable to that before air exposure. The dominant groups involved in the hydrolysis, acidification, and acetoxylation mainly included Firmicutes, Synergistetes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Methanogenic archaea were mainly Methanosarcina, Methanofollis, and Methanobacterium, belonging to Euryarchaeota. [Conclusion] After 24 hours of air exposure, the methane-producing capacity of the microbiome from the coalbed formation water was not affected and was comparable to that before air exposure. The microbiome did not showcase obvious succession, while the relative abundance of different groups changed accordingly. Our study can give scientific support for the in-situ industrial application of anaerobic enrichment culture from deep coalbed seams during coal degrading in methane production.