Coal-eating bugs may solve energy crisis - The Good Earth - Environment - NEWS - The Times of India

Coal-eating bugs may solve energy crisis - The Good Earth - Environment - NEWS - The Times of India: "Craig Venter, the controversial American scientist who helped decode the human genome, has announced the discovery of ancient bacteria that can
turn coal into methane, suggesting they may help to solve the world’s energy crisis. The bugs, discovered a mile underground by one of Venter’s microbial prospecting teams, are said to have unique enzymes that can break down coal. Venter said he was already working with BP on how to exploit the find.

Venter even suggested the discovery could open up the world’s coalfields to an entirely new form of mining, where coal is infected with the bacteria, allowing methane to be harvested “without even digging up the coal”. Venter, speaking at the recent La Jolla research and innovation summit, in La Jolla, California, told an audience of researchers and technology investors how he had harvested 20 million new genes by analysing the DNA of micro-organisms collected underwater or deep underground. He said: “We have found a huge number of microbes a mile or so deep in the earth. In fact, there is more diversity under the surface of the earth than in the ocean.

It is absolutely stunning. “Some of these underground water sources have been isolated for 50 million to 135 million years and we have found totally unique organisms.” Venter flashed up a black-andwhite image of a piece of coal that appeared to be carpeted with a mossy substance. He said: “We have a large number that eat coal and break it down into organic acids, hydrogen, CO2 and so on. Then we have other organisms with enzymes that can take those organic acids, hydrogen and CO2 and make methane.” Venter added: “We have a deal with BP to look at the biological conversion of coal into natural gas, where microbes colonise coal particles and produce methane.” He added: “We and BP think we can scale this up substantially to provide a huge increase in the amount of natural gas available without even digging up the coal.” If it worked, the potential would be huge.

Coal is the world’s most important fossil fuel with 6.5 billion tons used each year. This is slated to rise by 60% by 2030. This has serious environmental implications as coal is highly polluting, generating more CO2 per ton than any other major fossil fuel. Methane, by contrast, is much less polluting."


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