A review on the development of combustion technology for methane emitted from coal mine ventilation air systems (VAM)

Setiawan, Adi and Kennedy, Eric and Stockenhuber, Michael (2016) A review on the development of combustion technology for methane emitted from coal mine ventilation air systems (VAM). Energy Technology. ISSN 2194 – 4288 (In Press)

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Abstract

Fugitive gas emissions from coal mining are widely known as significant contributor to the emission of alkanes, mainly methane to the receiving environment. Utilization of coal mine ventilation air methane (VAM) is a crucial mission in order to minimize methane emission in atmosphere. This paper reviews current technological option for mitigation and utilization of methane emission from coal mining. Challenges and opportunities of each technology were discussed together with their benefits/ disadvantages. Discussion on the option of technology recommends catalytic combustion technology as a more prospective option due to the low and variable concentration of methane in coal-mine ventilation air, as well as its high volumetric flow. In this review, a specific discussion is expanded on the current development of flameless combustion with a few highlights on Pd-based catalyst development. The remaining uncertainties and obstacles in development of Pd-based catalysts for VAM are discussed in detail. This paper highlights a few important practical aspects which necessitate further detail investigation such as catalyst deactivation phenomena, the stability of catalyst under humid conditions, the effect of coal dust on catalytic activity and stability. It is noteworthy that the pressure drop, heat recovery/ self-sustaining and long term deactivation are the key for a successful development of VAM catalytic combustor.

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