Two companies are optimistic they can boost the U.S. natural gas supply by encouraging microscopic bugs to eat more coal. The process occurs naturally: Scientists are just now discovering how microbes eat coal and turn it into methane, the gas people burn in their homes to provide heat and hot showers. Luca Technologies and Ciris Energy are going a step further with methane wells drilled into Wyoming coal deposits. The companies say they can revive old and nearly tapped-out methane wells by pumping them full of water and a mix of nutrients that help coal-eating microbes thrive. Luca Chief Executive Bob Cavnar says the process could double or even triple gas production from some wells.
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