World experience of methane utilization in closed coal mines
Authors:   Institute of General Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 172 Antonovycha str., Kyiv, 03150, Ukraine, Perov M.O. , Novitsky . I.Yu ,   Institute of General Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 172 Antonovycha str., Kyiv, 03150, Ukraine
Published: May 2022

The article analyzes the world experience in assessment of the methane emissions from closed mines and the possibilities of its utilization for the country's economy by natural gas producers. Government regulators, the oil and gas sector, the agencies for development and policymakers should consider methane resources by identifying potential hazards associated with the methane release after mine closure and decommissioning and improving the controllability of emission reduction measures. Important concomitant benefits of methane from closed mines extraction and utilization are a significant reduction in the risk of uncontrolled surface emissions, the exploitation of gaseous resources that would otherwise become waste, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. According to the researchers, 103 billion m3 of methane was emitted from existing underground and open deposits in 2010, and another 22 billion m3 from closed mines. The total amount of 125 billion m3 for 2010 is 50% higher than the estimate of 83 billion m3 obtained by the Emissions Data System of the American Geophysical Union. This is stated in a new study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of the US Department of Energy. The closure of coal mines and, consequently, methane emissions from closed mines will continue to be a pressing and important issue in the foreseeable future as countries continue to exploit and deplete their coal reserves at an ever-increasing rate. This is the case in many developed countries, where coal production is declining and mines are closing. However, this also applies to some developed and developing countries, where coal mining will continue to play a significant role in the structure of the energy balance, and closed mines will be replaced by new ones. Thus, the total emissions from closed and closed mines can be significant and are likely to be increasingly significant. In 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accounted for 17% of global emissions of mine methane and, according to forecasts, in 2050 this share may increase to 24%. Coal is paramount in ensuring the energy security of many countries and plays a significant role in mitigating energy shortages around the world. As coal reserves deplete or due to changes in the energy sector of the economy, mines are inevitably closed and decommissioned. Closure of mines can provide a small but important opportunity to use such an environmentally friendly source of energy as methane from closed mines (MSS), which can be extracted and disposed of using existing technologies. There is an urgent need to develop projects that will be implemented after the cessation of mining activities and aimed at reducing overall emissions from the life cycle of coal mining, by optimizing the extraction and utilization of methane that would otherwise enter the atmosphere. World experience and theoretical studies of methane emissions to the surface during conservation (closure) of mines are important for understanding the processes of methane release and the corresponding degree of its further involvement in the economy of Ukraine. Keywords: methane emissions, utilization projects, closed mines, methane flow, potential danger