# US 8,770,282 B2 · Chemical amendments for the stimulation of biogenic gas generation in deposits of carbonaceous material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,770,282 B2 - Document ID: US8770282B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/751,745 - Filed: 2010-03-31 - Published: 2010-07-29 - Granted: 2014-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2006-04-05 - Assignees: Transworld Technologies Inc. - Applicants: Robert S. Pfeiffer; Glenn A. Ulrich - Inventors: Robert S. Pfeiffer; Glenn A. Ulrich - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8770282B2 ## CPC - C09K 8/86: containing organic compounds - C09K 8/582: characterised by the use of bacteria - C12N 1/26: Processes using, or culture media containing, hydrocarbons (refining of hydrocarbon oils by using microorganisms C10G32/00) - C12P 5/023: {Methane} - E21B 43/006: {Production of coal-bed methane (E21B43/243 takes precedence)} - E21B 43/16: Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons - E21B 43/168: {Injecting a gaseous medium} - E21B 49/00: Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells - Y02E 50/30: Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel - C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00) - C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)} - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract Methods of stimulating biogenic production of a metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen content are described. The methods may include accessing a consortium of microorganisms in a geologic formation that includes a carbonaceous material. They may also include providing hydrogen and one or more phosphorous compounds to the microorganisms. The combination of the hydrogen and phosphorous compounds stimulates the consortium to metabolize the carbonaceous material into the metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen content. Also, methods of stimulating biogenic production of a metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen content by providing a carboxylate compound, such as acetate, to a consortium of microorganisms is described. The carboxylate compound stimulates the consortium to metabolize carbonaceous material in the formation into the metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen content. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of stimulating biogenic production of methane, the method comprising: accessing a consortium of microorganisms in an anaerobic geologic formation that includes a naturally formed in situ carbonaceous material; providing an H2 gas injection to the microorganisms; and providing a phosphorous compound to the microorganism, wherein the combination of the H2 and phosphorous compound stimulates the consortium to metabolize the carbonaceous material into the methane. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the phosphorous compound comprises a phosphate compound. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the phosphate compound comprises a phosphate salt. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the phosphate compound is selected from the group consisting of sodium phosphate and potassium phosphate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the phosphorous compound comprises a phosphorous oxyacid or a salt of a phosphorous oxyacid. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the phosphorous oxyacid comprises H3PO4, H3PO3, or H3PO2. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the salt of the phosphorous oxyacid comprises dibasic sodium phosphate or dibasic potassium phosphate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a yeast extract to the microorganisms. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the carbonaceous material comprises coal, oil, carbonaceous shale, oil shale, tar sands, tar, lignite, kerogen, bitumen, or peat. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metabolism of the carbonaceous material to the metabolic product comprises one or more intermediate metabolic steps that produce one or more intermediate metabolites. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more intermediate metabolites comprise a compound selected from the group consisting of organic acids, alcohols, amines, straight or branched alkyl hydrocarbons, and aromatic hydrocarbons. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more intermediate metabolites is metabolized into the metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen content. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a vitamin amendment to the microorganisms. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a trace metal amendment to the microorganisms. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a mineral amendment to the microorganisms. ### Claim 16 A method of stimulating biogenic production of methane, the method comprising: accessing microorganisms in an anaerobic geologic formation that includes a naturally formed in situ carbonaceous material; injecting molecular hydrogen to the geologic; and providing a phosphorous compound to the geologic formation, wherein the combination of the molecular hydrogen and the phosphorous compound stimulates the microorganisms to metabolize the carbonaceous material into the methane. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the combination of the molecular hydrogen and the phosphorous compound is an activation agent for the microorganisms to metabolize the carbonaceous material in the geologic formation into methane. ### Claim 18 A method of stimulating biogenic production of a metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen content, the method comprising: accessing microorganisms in an anaerobic geologic formation that includes carbonaceous material; detecting a plateau in a concentration of the metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen from the first geologic formation that is indicative of a rollover effect; providing molecular hydrogen and a phosphorous compound to the geologic formation, wherein the molecular hydrogen and the phosphorous compound increase the concentration of the metabolic product with enhanced hydrogen content to a level greater than a rollover point where the rollover effect began to occur. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the concentration of the metabolic product reaches a local maxima due to the rollover effect and the molecular hydrogen and the phosphorous compound increases the concentration above a level of the local maxima. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the combination of the molecular hydrogen and the phosphorous compound is an activation agent for the microorganisms to metabolize the carbonaceous material in the geologic formation into methane.