Biochemically reacting substrates in subterranean cavities
US4845034A · kind A · utility
53Cited by
3References
8Claims
0Family size
Assignee
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Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 6, 1986 |
| Grant date | Jul 4, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 6, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S585/943
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method for carrying out a biochemical reaction with a culture of microorganisms is performed in a cavity formed in a subterranean formation to produce combustible hydrocarbon gases. The method is especially suitable for the conversion of alkali-oxidized or hydrolyzed coal, such as lignite, to methane. The method may be performed in the cavity as a continuously stirred tank reaction, or plug flow or as a staged reaction. The method may also be done as an anaerobic fixed film process using particles as an anaerobic filter, as a sludge blanket, or as an expanded bed process.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.