Progress in developing an innovative lean burn catalytic turbine technology for fugitive methane mitigation and utilization

Approximately 2.8 × 10¹⁰ m³ of methane is emitted per year to the atmosphere from coal mining activities around the world. Mitigation and utilization of the fugitive coal mine methane is very difficult because its concentration is very low and varies from 0.1% to1%, and the methane is contained in a large air flow rate of 150–400 m³/s. This paper overviews existing and developing technologies for the mitigation and utilization of the fugitive mine methane, and then presents research progress in developing an innovative lean burn catalytic turbine technology for fugitive methane mitigation and utilization. This turbine system can be powered with about 1% methane in air.