title: A new approach to estimate fugitive methane emissions from coal mining in China.
abstract: Developing a more accurate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory draws too much attention. Because of its resource endowment and technical status, China has made coal-related GHG emissions a big part of its inventory. Lacking a stoichiometric carbon conversion coefficient and influenced by geological conditions and mining technologies, previous efforts to estimate fugitive methane emissions from coal mining in China has led to disagreeing results. This paper proposes a new calculation methodology to determine fugitive methane emissions from coal mining based on the domestic analysis of gas geology, gas emission features, and the merits and demerits of existing estimation methods. This new approach involves four main parameters: in-situ original gas content, gas remaining post-desorption, raw coal production, and mining influence coefficient. The case studies in Huaibei-Huainan Coalfield and Jincheng Coalfield show that the new method obtains the smallest error, +9.59% and 7.01% respectively compared with other methods, Tier 1 and Tier 2 (with two samples) in this study, which resulted in +140.34%, +138.90%, and -18.67%, in Huaibei-Huainan Coalfield, while +64.36%, +47.07%, and -14.91% in Jincheng Coalfield. Compared with the predominantly used methods, this new one possesses the characteristics of not only being a comparably more simple process and lower uncertainty than the "emission factor method" (IPCC recommended Tier 1 and Tier 2), but also having easier data accessibility, similar uncertainty, and additional post-mining emissions compared to the "absolute gas emission method" (IPCC recommended Tier 3). Therefore, methane emissions dissipated from most of the producing coal mines worldwide could be more accurately and more easily estimated.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: juyw03@163.com.
authors.forename: Yiwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Safety Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao 266520, China.
authors.forename: Zhanyou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sa
authors.affiliation: School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China.
authors.forename: Jienan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China.
authors.forename: Jilin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Quanlin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Qingguang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Zhifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Safety Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao 266520, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
keywords: China; Coal mining; Greenhouse gas; Methane emission; Methodology