KG Basin an excellent source of methane fuel: Study

The Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin holds a massive reserve of methane hydrate, a rich source of clean fuel, according to a recent study conducted at the Agharkar Research Institute, which works under the government’s Department of Science and Technology.

The study, accepted for publishing in the journal 'Marine genomics', says methane is a clean and economical fuel and it is estimated that “one cubic meter of methane hydrate contains 160-180 cubic meters of methane,”.

“Even the lowest estimate of Methane present in the Methane hydrates in KG Basin is twice that of all fossil fuel reserves available worldwide,” said the study by the Pune-based ARI.

Methane's clean burning process makes it a very attractive fuel. When burnt in the presence of Oxygen, its one molecule releases two molecules of water and one of Carbon Dioxide.

The KG basin is known to be a rich source of hydrocarbons.

The study was conducted as a part of the DST-SERB (Science and Engineering Research Board) young scientist project titled 'Elucidating the community structure of methanogenic archaea in methane hydrate'.

According to the study, the ARI team has further identified the methanogens that produced the biogenic methane trapped as methane hydrate, which can be a significant source of energy.

Methane hydrate is formed when hydrogen-bonded water and methane gas come into contact at high pressures and low temperatures in oceans.

“The massive methane hydrate deposits of biogenic origin in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin and near the coast of Andaman and Mahanadi make it necessary to study the associated methanogenic community,” said Vikram B Lanjekar, the principal investigator of the study.

According to the ARI team, until recently, there have been only a few investigations of the methanogenic communities associated with methane hydrate-bearing sediments.

This study has shown that methanogens under these elevated pressure and temperature conditions are well adapted to these conditions and are different in methane-producing activities.