Exploration, Exploitation, and Utilization of Coal-Measure Gas into the Future

As climate change—being a dire challenge for all mankind—impinges on every continent, the exigencies of reducing greenhouse gas emissions have gained soaring attention around the world. Scientists have made strides in understanding the pivotality of unconventional energies, in particular coal-measure gas (e.g., coal-bed methane, shale gas, and tight sandstone gas), for mitigating global warming. Yet less is known about the measures to achieve net-zero emissions of coal-measure gas, which entails (1) how to identify its occurrence and production, (2) how to determine its transformation technologies, and (3) how to examine the applicability of its CO₂ geological storage conditions.

The specific objectives of this Research Topic are to (1) scrutinize research progress of exploration, exploitation and utilization of coal-measure gas; (2) address solutions to the difficulties occurring in stages of injection, transportation, and CO₂ geological storage; and (3) surmount obstacles of the integration of CO₂ geological storage as well as the efficient exploitation of coal-measure gas.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

• Enrichment, accumulation, and evolution of coal-measure gas
• Evaluation of coal-measure gas reservoirs
• Drainage performance and reservoir parameter variation
• Gas injection (CO₂/N₂) stimulation technology
• Optimal evaluation technology for CO₂ geological storage
• Carbon cycle and climate change with the utilization of coal-measure gas