PROSPECTS OF COAL BED METHANE GAS IN JHARKHAND STATE OF INDIA.
By
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi
Coal contains methane gas as an inherent component but in widely variable proportions depending on the rank of coal and depth of occurrence. Its presence in coal has so far been considered a hazard as it is an inflammable and explosive gas and there have been many fire accidents in coal mines throughout the world due to this gas. In recent years, coal bed methane has become a good source of clean thermal energy for its easy inflammability and it has come up as an additional energy resource from the coal basins especially in the countries like USA, Australia and China.
Deep seated coal seams of comparatively high rank contain considerable volume of methane adsorbed on coal surfaces.
Unlike much natural gas from conventional reservoirs, coal bed methane contains very little heavier hydrocarbons such as propane or butane, and no natural gas condensate. It often contains up to a few percent carbon dioxide.
India is struggling to find enough energy sources to meet up the growing energy demand coupled with economic growth. Indian government is now exploring alternative sources too. Indian government has received 54 bids to extract coal-bed methane (CBM) from various domestic and foreign energy companies. This is the highest amount of bids the government has ever received. 18 domestic companies and 8 foreign companies have submitted their bids to extract methane from ten areas. It shows CBM has a good prospect in India.
At present, many foreign companies are setting up their plants in India. In addition, Indian companies are targeting the global market. This rapid industrialization has made India an energy hungry country. As the price of oil continues remain high in the international market, CBM can be a good source of energy for India in future. In fact, India is going to start commercial production of CBM from 2007. Some states of India contains good reserve of coal.
The prospect for coal bed methane is mainly related to the coal resources of the country. India has huge Gondwana (mainly Permian, 99.5%) and Tertiary (Eocene and Oligocene) coal deposits distributed in several basins located in peninsular and extra-peninsular regions. About 204 billion tons of coal reserves have been established and approximately 200 million tons or so are likely to be added in the near future by further explorations.
CBM IN JHARKHAND:
In India prospects of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is not very bright, as most of the Indian coals are of inferior quality and of low rank. However, some of the coal basins contain high rank coal where sizeable reserves of CBM may be expected. A recent assessment has identified certain areas of Gondwana coalfields where gas -in-place reserves of 564 billion cubic meters have been indicated.
In 1990, efforts to exploit coal bed methane were initiated by Essar Oil (a private oil company) under the advice of American experts. The methane emission and desorption studies on Gondwana coal samples from Jharia Coalfield (Jharkhand) were carried out by Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (Ranchi) and Central Mining Research Institute (Dhanbad). The content of gas and gas emission rate from these samples were found to be 1.8–2.3 m3/1000 m2 of surface and 12.7–17.3 m3/min, respectively. The studies carried out by Bharat Coking Coal Limited in the same area with the help of French experts indicated 0.68–1.45 m3/min gas emission rate.
In Jharkhand State areas identified for CBM are Jharia, East Bokaro, West Bokaro, North Karanpura and Rajmahal Basins.
The estimate reserves in Jharia coalfield is 4.82 trillion cubic feet, in East Bokaro it is 3.2 trillion cubic feet and West Bokaro it is 0.38 trillion cubic feet. Some of the new areas has also been identified like North Karanpura coalfield for the CBM which needs more survey.
Potential of CBM production in Jharia coalfield is 3.5 million cubic metres/day , East Bokaro has the potential of 2.5 million cubic metres /day, North Karanpura has the potential of 6.0 cubic metres /day and the Rajmahal Basin has the potential of 4.5 cubic metres/day.
Thick Tertiary coal of Makum area, Assam, and thick lignite seams of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat may also be positive areas for methane prospects. These factors need to be considered in future.
Reference:
Acharyya, S.K. Coal and Lignite Resources of India,2000, 41-43.
Biswas, S. K., Indian J. Petrol. Geol., 1995, 4, 1–23.
http://www.cmpdi.nic.in/cbm.htm
http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/jun25/articles15.htm
http://envfor.nic.in/cpcb/newsletter/coal/cmetha.html
http://www.indianraj.com/2006/07/coalbed_methane_cbm_indias_fut.html
Showing posts with label Rajmahal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rajmahal. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Mining and other operations destroying fossils of Jharkhand State of India.
Mining and other operations destroying fossils of Jharkhand State of India.
By
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi
Large scale mining and other operations in Jharkhand State of India are destroying the plant fossils of the Jurassic and Permian age. Lack of proper preservation arrangements,
coupled with reckless mining works are ruining “a veritable storehouse of geological history”. Fossils of Jurassic age in Rajmahal area of Jharkhand state are being used to build up roads. Due to lack of knowledge, awareness and government ignorance these fossils are dangerously set on the path to destruction.
Plant fossils of Permian age which are spread over Damodar Valley coalfields are also being destroyed due to mine blasting or crushed under the huge tyres of trucks.
The situation is a combination of factors including extensive mine blasting and natural weathering process whose ‘baleful impact upon the life of the plant fossils has not been minimized due to the indifference of the organization concerned.
“There is an urgent need to conserve the rich fossil site. It is essential to preserve the plant fossils in ancient conditions,”.
According to the recent report a Memorandum of Understanding was inked between the Jharkhand government, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (BSIP), Lucknow, and the National Building Construction Corporation, (NBCC), under the umbrella of the Department of Science and Technology of Government of India to establish the park. The Lucknow-based BSIP, a premier research centre in the field of palaeobotany, will provide scientific inputs and consultancy services to the park. But what about the fossils of Damodar Valley Coalfields? Decision of making fossil park has come too late. Till today most of the fossils have been destroyed .
Major plant fossils of the Permian age in Jharkhand State are Glossopteris, Gangmopteris, Schizoneura, Vertebraria, Noeggerathiopsis etc. Jurassic fossils are Lycoxylon indicum, Cladophlebis lobata, Ptilophyllum aquitifolium etc.
An angiosperm fruit of uncertain affinity and a questionable flower are reported from the Rajmahal Formation (Early Cretaceous) at the locality of Sonajori, Rajmahal Basin. The remains of ferns, Pentoxylales and conifers have been described previously from this locality. The significant addition of angiosperm megafossil remains confirms that flowering plants were evolving during the Early Cretaceous Epoch in India. The Sonajori assemblage seems to be the youngest fossil assemblage recovered so far from the Rajmahal Basin. It is tentatively dated as Barremian–Aptian.
Mr. Birbal Sahni was the first botanist to study extensively the flora of Indian Gondwana. He also explored the Rajmahal hills which is a treasury of fossils of ancient plants. Here he discovered some new genus of plants. The important and interesting ones are Homoxylon rajmehalense, Rajamahalia paradora and Williamsonia sewardiana.
Stromatolites in Jharkhand:
Stromatolites have the distinction of being by far the oldest indicators of organized life on earth, ranging back over 3 billion years. They occur all on continents in rocks from middle Precambrian to Holocene age. Stromatolites are laminated limestone structure of simple to c
omplex form commonly attributed to debris-binding and biochemical processes of benthonic blue-green, green, and possibly, red algae.
Iron ore groups (Archaean age) of Jharkhand and bordering Orissa need pointed reference as they have the potential to constrain concepts of early evolution of life and also the age of the Iron Ore Group. These relate to the occurrence of palaeobiological remains and the extensive development of carbon phyllites that may have an organic carbon source.
These are found in the chert, jasper, haematite and dolomite beds in the iron-ore formations of the Noamundi-Joda area of Orissa bordering Jharkhand State. Good exposures of stromatolytic dolomite are also found at the base of the iron and manganese formations at Kasia and Belkundi. The stromatolites may be of the stratiform, nodular and columnar types.
Stromatolites have also been recorded Bachra coalfield in North Karanpura coalfield of Jharkhand state. It has been found in Talchir Formation (Permo-Carboniferous). The rock types of Talchir formation in order of superposition comprise tilloides and boulder beds, green shales and varvites with stromatolites. Stromatolites have been recorded by CMPDIL organization for the first time in this area.
They were the dominant life form on Earth for over 2 billion years. Today they are nearly extinct, living a precarious existence in only a few localities.
The term fossil is defined as remains of plants and animals which have existed on the earth in prehistoric times and are found preserved within sedimentary rocks or superficial deposits of the earth, not only mostly as petrified structures of organisms but also whatever was directly connected with or produced by these organisms.
Fossils are recognized as important useful tools since prehistoric times. Prehistoric men and medicine men of certain primitive cultures have believed them as magic sticks with mysterious powers and have used them to treat the evil spirits. Students concerned with the past of the earth have used as guide to reconstruct the geologic history of the earth. Paleontologists have used them in reconstructing the story of the plants and animals and of the past. They have also obtained useful information about when, where, and how the fossil animals and plants lived. Economic geologists have used the fossils as chief indicators in oil exploration.
Most of our knowledge about the climatic conditions in the geologic past comes from the study of the fossils. The presence of a fossils of warmer region in colder parts indicate that the latter once enjoyed a warm climate. The fossil ferns and other plants are usually found associated with coal deposits, which suggest warm and swampy conditions.
The concerned organizations should wake up to the bitter fact of gradual elimination of plant fossils from this region before it is too late.
“This is not to say that mining operations or other construction works in these regions should be stopped but they should be done more judiciously apart from setting up a chain of geological parks in Jharkhand to preserve plant fossils which are indisputably a treasure trove of information about the chronological history of the rocks.
By
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi
Large scale mining and other operations in Jharkhand State of India are destroying the plant fossils of the Jurassic and Permian age. Lack of proper preservation arrangements,
coupled with reckless mining works are ruining “a veritable storehouse of geological history”. Fossils of Jurassic age in Rajmahal area of Jharkhand state are being used to build up roads. Due to lack of knowledge, awareness and government ignorance these fossils are dangerously set on the path to destruction.Plant fossils of Permian age which are spread over Damodar Valley coalfields are also being destroyed due to mine blasting or crushed under the huge tyres of trucks.
The situation is a combination of factors including extensive mine blasting and natural weathering process whose ‘baleful impact upon the life of the plant fossils has not been minimized due to the indifference of the organization concerned.
“There is an urgent need to conserve the rich fossil site. It is essential to preserve the plant fossils in ancient conditions,”.
According to the recent report a Memorandum of Understanding was inked between the Jharkhand government, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (BSIP), Lucknow, and the National Building Construction Corporation, (NBCC), under the umbrella of the Department of Science and Technology of Government of India to establish the park. The Lucknow-based BSIP, a premier research centre in the field of palaeobotany, will provide scientific inputs and consultancy services to the park. But what about the fossils of Damodar Valley Coalfields? Decision of making fossil park has come too late. Till today most of the fossils have been destroyed .
Major plant fossils of the Permian age in Jharkhand State are Glossopteris, Gangmopteris, Schizoneura, Vertebraria, Noeggerathiopsis etc. Jurassic fossils are Lycoxylon indicum, Cladophlebis lobata, Ptilophyllum aquitifolium etc.
An angiosperm fruit of uncertain affinity and a questionable flower are reported from the Rajmahal Formation (Early Cretaceous) at the locality of Sonajori, Rajmahal Basin. The remains of ferns, Pentoxylales and conifers have been described previously from this locality. The significant addition of angiosperm megafossil remains confirms that flowering plants were evolving during the Early Cretaceous Epoch in India. The Sonajori assemblage seems to be the youngest fossil assemblage recovered so far from the Rajmahal Basin. It is tentatively dated as Barremian–Aptian.
Mr. Birbal Sahni was the first botanist to study extensively the flora of Indian Gondwana. He also explored the Rajmahal hills which is a treasury of fossils of ancient plants. Here he discovered some new genus of plants. The important and interesting ones are Homoxylon rajmehalense, Rajamahalia paradora and Williamsonia sewardiana.
Stromatolites in Jharkhand:
Stromatolites have the distinction of being by far the oldest indicators of organized life on earth, ranging back over 3 billion years. They occur all on continents in rocks from middle Precambrian to Holocene age. Stromatolites are laminated limestone structure of simple to c
omplex form commonly attributed to debris-binding and biochemical processes of benthonic blue-green, green, and possibly, red algae.Iron ore groups (Archaean age) of Jharkhand and bordering Orissa need pointed reference as they have the potential to constrain concepts of early evolution of life and also the age of the Iron Ore Group. These relate to the occurrence of palaeobiological remains and the extensive development of carbon phyllites that may have an organic carbon source.
These are found in the chert, jasper, haematite and dolomite beds in the iron-ore formations of the Noamundi-Joda area of Orissa bordering Jharkhand State. Good exposures of stromatolytic dolomite are also found at the base of the iron and manganese formations at Kasia and Belkundi. The stromatolites may be of the stratiform, nodular and columnar types.
Stromatolites have also been recorded Bachra coalfield in North Karanpura coalfield of Jharkhand state. It has been found in Talchir Formation (Permo-Carboniferous). The rock types of Talchir formation in order of superposition comprise tilloides and boulder beds, green shales and varvites with stromatolites. Stromatolites have been recorded by CMPDIL organization for the first time in this area.
They were the dominant life form on Earth for over 2 billion years. Today they are nearly extinct, living a precarious existence in only a few localities.
The term fossil is defined as remains of plants and animals which have existed on the earth in prehistoric times and are found preserved within sedimentary rocks or superficial deposits of the earth, not only mostly as petrified structures of organisms but also whatever was directly connected with or produced by these organisms.
Fossils are recognized as important useful tools since prehistoric times. Prehistoric men and medicine men of certain primitive cultures have believed them as magic sticks with mysterious powers and have used them to treat the evil spirits. Students concerned with the past of the earth have used as guide to reconstruct the geologic history of the earth. Paleontologists have used them in reconstructing the story of the plants and animals and of the past. They have also obtained useful information about when, where, and how the fossil animals and plants lived. Economic geologists have used the fossils as chief indicators in oil exploration.
Most of our knowledge about the climatic conditions in the geologic past comes from the study of the fossils. The presence of a fossils of warmer region in colder parts indicate that the latter once enjoyed a warm climate. The fossil ferns and other plants are usually found associated with coal deposits, which suggest warm and swampy conditions.
The concerned organizations should wake up to the bitter fact of gradual elimination of plant fossils from this region before it is too late.
“This is not to say that mining operations or other construction works in these regions should be stopped but they should be done more judiciously apart from setting up a chain of geological parks in Jharkhand to preserve plant fossils which are indisputably a treasure trove of information about the chronological history of the rocks.
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