Supercharging Natural Gas: A Breakthrough in Energy Production
Doubling natural gas production with the help of microbes
A scientist injects nutrients into a shale formation in Michigan. The nutrients will stimulate microbes that produce methane, the main component in natural gas. A USGS study showed that this process can double natural gas production in certain areas.
Natural gas is the primary source of electricity in the United States and fuels industries, businesses, and homes. Because the need for natural gas is increasing, ensuring a reliable national supply is essential. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are working to increase natural gas production by using an unexpected source: underground microbes.
About one-fifth of the natural gas on Earth was created by microbes slowly breaking down underground coal, oil, and shale over many years (Rice and Claypool, 1991). USGS research shows that adding specific nutrients can speed up the decomposition of coal by microbes, causing them to produce natural gas much faster. This process—known as biogenic natural gas enhancement—is a breakthrough that could expand natural gas reserves.
USGS Testing in the Field
To see if enhancing microbial methane production would work outside the lab, USGS scientists collaborated with energy companies and universities on field tests. At a USGS test site in Montana, researchers injected a small amount of yeast extract into a coal bed and tracked natural gas production over three years. A peer-reviewed study showed that natural gas production more than doubled in response (Barnhart and others, 2022).
Unlocking billions in economic potential
If similar results from the USGS field site could be achieved in key natural gas-producing regions, biogenic natural gas enhancement could have significant economic benefits, particularly in areas with thousands of aging wells.
Using this method in Michigan's Antrim Shale formation alone:
- $63.9 million could be generated annually from an increase of 5 thousand cubic feet (MCF) of natural gas per day per well at a conservative price of $3.50/MCF in the Antrim Shale formation, where around 10,000 low-producing wells could see increased production (Stemple and others, 2021; Chen and others, 2023).
- $760 million could be saved in the Antrim Basin if marginal wells continue to produce natural gas longer, existing infrastructure remains operational, and costly well-plugging is avoided (Raimi and others, 2021).
Expanding the future of natural gas
The USGS is collaborating with energy partners, including Riverside Energy, Michigan’s largest natural gas producer, to test this technology in marginal wells in the Antrim Basin. Additionally, industry partners in Wyoming are testing the use of low-cost sugar beet byproducts to increase natural gas output. This approach could offer a local, cost-effective way to expand natural gas production and support rural economies.
As the demand for natural gas rises, USGS research is evaluating the dependability and economic practicality of large-scale natural gas production from biological sources. Biogenic natural gas enhancement could help to secure a stable, long-term supply of cleaner energy for the U.S.
References
Barnhart, E.P., Ruppert, L.F., Hiebert, R., Smith, H.J., Schweitzer, H.D., Clark, A.C., Weeks, E.P., Orem, W.H., Varonka, M.S., Platt, G., Shelton, J.L., Davis, K.J., Hyatt, R.J., McIntosh, J.C., and others, 2022, In Situ Enhancement and Isotopic Labeling of Biogenic Coalbed Methane: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 56, no. 5, at https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c05979.
Chen, J., Xiao, Z., Bai, J., and Guo, H., 2023, Predicting volatility in natural gas under a cloud of uncertainties: Resources Policy, v. 82, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103436.
Raimi, D., Krupnick, A.J., Shah, J.S., and Thompson, A., 2021, Decommissioning Orphaned and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells: New Estimates and Cost Drivers: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 55, no. 15, at https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c02234.
Rice, D.D., and Claypool, G.E., 1981, Generation, Accumulation, and Resource Potential of Biogenic Gas: AAPG Bulletin, v. 65, no. 1, at https://doi.org/10.1306/2F919765-16CE-11D7-8645000102C1865D.
Stemple, B., Tinker, K., Sarkar, P., Miller, J., Gulliver, D., and Bibby, K., 2021, Biogeochemistry of the Antrim Shale Natural Gas Reservoir: ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, v. 5, no. 7, at https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00087.
Additional Information
Barnhart, E.P., Davis, K.J., Varonka, M., Orem, W., Cunningham, A.B., Ramsay, B.D., and Fields, M.W., 2017, Enhanced coal-dependent methanogenesis coupled with algal biofuels: Potential water recycle and carbon capture: International Journal of Coal Geology, v. 171, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2017.01.001.
Barnhart, E., Hyatt, R., Fields, M.W., and Cunningham, A.B., 2020, Subsurface environment sampler with actuator movable collection chamber: at, https://patents.google.com/patent/US10704993B2/en?oq=10704993.
Barnhart, E.P., De León, K.B., Ramsay, B.D., Cunningham, A.B., and Fields, M.W., 2013, Investigation of coal-associated bacterial and archaeal populations from a diffusive microbial sampler (DMS): International Journal of Coal Geology, v. 115, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2013.03.006.
Advancements in Geochemistry and Geomicrobiology of Energy Resources (AGGER)
Natural gas is the primary source of electricity in the United States and fuels industries, businesses, and homes. Because the need for natural gas is increasing, ensuring a reliable national supply is essential. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are working to increase natural gas production by using an unexpected source: underground microbes.
About one-fifth of the natural gas on Earth was created by microbes slowly breaking down underground coal, oil, and shale over many years (Rice and Claypool, 1991). USGS research shows that adding specific nutrients can speed up the decomposition of coal by microbes, causing them to produce natural gas much faster. This process—known as biogenic natural gas enhancement—is a breakthrough that could expand natural gas reserves.
USGS Testing in the Field
To see if enhancing microbial methane production would work outside the lab, USGS scientists collaborated with energy companies and universities on field tests. At a USGS test site in Montana, researchers injected a small amount of yeast extract into a coal bed and tracked natural gas production over three years. A peer-reviewed study showed that natural gas production more than doubled in response (Barnhart and others, 2022).
Unlocking billions in economic potential
If similar results from the USGS field site could be achieved in key natural gas-producing regions, biogenic natural gas enhancement could have significant economic benefits, particularly in areas with thousands of aging wells.
Using this method in Michigan's Antrim Shale formation alone:
- $63.9 million could be generated annually from an increase of 5 thousand cubic feet (MCF) of natural gas per day per well at a conservative price of $3.50/MCF in the Antrim Shale formation, where around 10,000 low-producing wells could see increased production (Stemple and others, 2021; Chen and others, 2023).
- $760 million could be saved in the Antrim Basin if marginal wells continue to produce natural gas longer, existing infrastructure remains operational, and costly well-plugging is avoided (Raimi and others, 2021).
Expanding the future of natural gas
The USGS is collaborating with energy partners, including Riverside Energy, Michigan’s largest natural gas producer, to test this technology in marginal wells in the Antrim Basin. Additionally, industry partners in Wyoming are testing the use of low-cost sugar beet byproducts to increase natural gas output. This approach could offer a local, cost-effective way to expand natural gas production and support rural economies.
As the demand for natural gas rises, USGS research is evaluating the dependability and economic practicality of large-scale natural gas production from biological sources. Biogenic natural gas enhancement could help to secure a stable, long-term supply of cleaner energy for the U.S.
References
Barnhart, E.P., Ruppert, L.F., Hiebert, R., Smith, H.J., Schweitzer, H.D., Clark, A.C., Weeks, E.P., Orem, W.H., Varonka, M.S., Platt, G., Shelton, J.L., Davis, K.J., Hyatt, R.J., McIntosh, J.C., and others, 2022, In Situ Enhancement and Isotopic Labeling of Biogenic Coalbed Methane: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 56, no. 5, at https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c05979.
Chen, J., Xiao, Z., Bai, J., and Guo, H., 2023, Predicting volatility in natural gas under a cloud of uncertainties: Resources Policy, v. 82, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103436.
Raimi, D., Krupnick, A.J., Shah, J.S., and Thompson, A., 2021, Decommissioning Orphaned and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells: New Estimates and Cost Drivers: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 55, no. 15, at https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c02234.
Rice, D.D., and Claypool, G.E., 1981, Generation, Accumulation, and Resource Potential of Biogenic Gas: AAPG Bulletin, v. 65, no. 1, at https://doi.org/10.1306/2F919765-16CE-11D7-8645000102C1865D.
Stemple, B., Tinker, K., Sarkar, P., Miller, J., Gulliver, D., and Bibby, K., 2021, Biogeochemistry of the Antrim Shale Natural Gas Reservoir: ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, v. 5, no. 7, at https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00087.
Additional Information
Barnhart, E.P., Davis, K.J., Varonka, M., Orem, W., Cunningham, A.B., Ramsay, B.D., and Fields, M.W., 2017, Enhanced coal-dependent methanogenesis coupled with algal biofuels: Potential water recycle and carbon capture: International Journal of Coal Geology, v. 171, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2017.01.001.
Barnhart, E., Hyatt, R., Fields, M.W., and Cunningham, A.B., 2020, Subsurface environment sampler with actuator movable collection chamber: at, https://patents.google.com/patent/US10704993B2/en?oq=10704993.
Barnhart, E.P., De León, K.B., Ramsay, B.D., Cunningham, A.B., and Fields, M.W., 2013, Investigation of coal-associated bacterial and archaeal populations from a diffusive microbial sampler (DMS): International Journal of Coal Geology, v. 115, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2013.03.006.