Coal Bed Methane the Key to Reducing China's Carbon Output?

Saturday June 5 marks World Environment Day, a time for countries across the world to focus on tackling carbon emissions. While most people will be familiar with the idea of generating energy from the sun, the wind or tidal power, few may think of coal bed methane as a clean energy source. But, as Randeep Grewal, CEO of China's largest independent gas firm in China argues, this technology is not only clean, it's more environmentally friendly than solar energy.

CRI's Dominic Swire has more.

One of the reasons coal is so damaging to the environment is because the process of mining it releases previously absorbed methane gas into the atmosphere. Not only is this substance highly detrimental to the ozone layer, it is also dangerous and has led to many fatal mine explosions across the world.

However, thanks to new technology that has been in development over the last couple of decades, it is now possible to remove this methane before the coal is mined and use it as fuel.

Randeep Grewal is CEO of Green Dragon Gas, the largest independent coal bed methane firm in China. He says the extracted methane is much more efficient than other forms of natural gas.

"When you think about natural gas as a source of energy, it is its methane content that ought to be more than 85-88% for it to be used as fuel. While what you have trapped in coal is pure methane with a methane content higher than 95-98%."

There is also an environmental benefit. Mr Grewal argues that coal bed methane extraction can be considered cleaner than other forms of renewable energy.

"If you look at an alternative, for eg solar, this requires, first of all a massive manufacturing process of just solar panels alone, which I wouldn't call environmentally progressive. They're environmentally hazardous."

Mr Grewal explains how the extracted gas can be used as a cleaner and more economical form of car fuel.

"You could take any car on streets in China today and convert it into a hybrid that can run on petrol or diesel and have the option to run it on gas. It would cost about 4,000 rmb to do that, it can be done in about 6 hrs and it simply creates an option. But that option provides you a fuel which is 90% less emissions to the atmosphere and 40% cheaper per km to drive."

To what extent Chinese car drivers will share Mr Grewal's enthusiasm for this new form of energy remains to be seen. But with around two thirds of China's energy coming from coal, any technology that makes mining this substance safer and cleaner is likely to have a bright future.

For CRI, I'm Dominic Swire