Swamp gas

Virtually anywhere water contacts organic matter in the absence of air is a suitable place for methanoarchaea to thrive—at the bottom of ponds bogs and rice fields for example Marsh gas (swamp gas) IS mostly methane Methanoarchaea live inside termites and grass eating animals One source quotes 20 L/day as the methane output of a large cow... 

Early on the subsurface coal mining industry learned that swamp gas or firedamp was prevalent in underground coal mines. The gas is largely methane formed from the decay and rotting of carbonaceous materials to ultimately form coal. When pressure is released (as by drilling into the coal seam) the methane-rich gas migrates to the low pressure and is produced. The composition and properties of several coal bed methane streams are shown in Fig. 20.2.15... 

One method involves the microwave-induced removal of hydrogen from methane (CH, swamp gas) in a very sparse gas phase so that carbon atoms, stripped of most of their hydrogen, can settle out on the substrate and start building diamond crystals. In the past, the diamonds formed in this process were tiny and only suitable for industrial applications, but lately gem-quality crystals have been grown. The artificial diamond is virtually indistinguishable from the natural diamond because they are both just a crystalline form of carbon. 

The methane-producing bacteria derive their energy from the oxidation of simple organic corn-pounds such as methanol and acetate, or from molecular hydrogen. Methane is the reduced product of their metabolism. These are among the most strictly anaerobic organisms. They are responsible for swamp gas (methane) production in the... 

This is an example of fermentation reaction, which is defined as one in which both oxidizing and reducing agents are organic materials. Since the methane produced in this process is almost insoluble in water (see Box 1), it forms bubbles that can be seen rising to the surface in swamps. We recall that methane was originally called marsh or swamp gas. 

Although the law of conservation matter is strongly and quite properly associated with Lavoisier, its chemical consequences were stated explicitly at least a century earlier and, indeed, the concept dates back to antiquity. Nonetheless, Franklin s views on this matter are not widely known and his statement even suggests a specific experiment to verify the law. Franklin also reports witnessing the flammability of swamp gas (methane), in New Jersey, no less, over a decade be-... 

H2S is also known as dihydrogen sulfide, sulfur hydride, sulfurate hydrogen, hydrosulfuric acid, sewer gas, swamp gas, hepatic acid, soiu gas and stink damp. ... 

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