Varanasi : With rising global temperatures, curbing greenhouse gas emissions has become a major challenge before the world community. Governments across the globe are brainstorming innovative ways to curb emissions in order to check environmental pollution. Mining of Coal involves several processes that result in various kinds of pollution. Further the use of coal in thermal power stations also leads to environmental hazards and leads to carbon emissions. Given the importance of coal for developmental and growth activities, a need for discovering less hazardous and more effective ways to use coal as fuel has been long felt. Experts believe that Biomethanization of Coal in the in-situ (the natural and original form in which coal exists beneath the earth) conditions could offer a possible solution to the problem.
Scientists from Banaras Hindu University are working on a project (given by Ministry of Coal, Government of India, through CMPDI) to explore such possibilities. Dr. Asha Lata Singh, Department of Botany, and Prof. Prakash K Singh, Department of Geology, Institute of Science, will be working on ‘Biomethanization of Coal’ (in simpler terms converting coal into methane in its natural form by using certain microbes). The work will be tested at the bench scale in the laboratory and if successful, the work could produce a form of fuel (methane) which will be less harmful to the environment.
Biomethanization of Coal is a relatively new concept and hasn’t been explored and researched much. Currently there are only two other locations in the world i.e. United States and China, where such studies are underway in this area. India becomes the third country to have entered into this area of research and Banaras Hindu University is the proud institution which has been chosen for the study. During the course of the study, an in-situ type of environment shall be re-created in the Laboratory with the help of anaerobic chamber where anaerobic microbes would be used for the experiment. The success of this project would not only open-up a new window for future research but would also open new pathways to obtain green energy. It would not be out of place to mention that such innovative work has not been so far carried out in the country and has come-up to Banaras Hindu University for the first time.
A team of senior officers from CMPDI also visited BHU and discussed various aspects of Biomethanization with Prof. Asha Lata Singh, Prof. Prakash K Singh, and their research team. This research team is also working on a DST-SERB project on ‘Desulfurization of sulfur-rich coals using biological and chemical methods’.
The new Project comes at a time when Banaras Hindu University has been laying greater focus on inter-disciplinary research by way of providing funds and infrastructural support. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sudhir Kumar Jain has reiterated that BHU offers a perfect ecosystem for inter-disciplinary studies and we must work hard to capitalize on it.
