Features of methane and germanium extraction

Production sharing agreements apply to both traditional hydrocarbons and conventional minerals.

During mineral extraction, an investor often encounters a problem with additional rent payments from mistakenly accounted to pay by the national tax authorities, as there are cases when another mineral (not the main one) is also extracted during the extraction of one mineral.

For example, we suggest considering the features of methane and germanium extraction.

Coalbed methane is partly released into the air and partly used for domestic purposes.

Extraction of germanium from mined coal is possible using special chemical production equipment.

The process of removing methane from a coal massif and transporting it to the surface through special pipelines falls under the concept of mineral extraction (the definition is taken from the Mining Encyclopedia edited by E.A. Kozlovsky).

Methane gas reaches the surface during the operation of ventilation systems and advanced forced degassing.

The work involves pumping out the gas-air mixture from wells through pipelines that extend from ventilation shafts using vacuum pumps.

Germanium, which is contained in coal in a dispersed form, is not removed during coal enrichment and its subsequent processing at coke plants.

Degassing of coal massif is an integral part of the technological process of coal mining, i.e. germanium cannot be attributed to associated minerals since germanium is part of the organic part of coal and the extraction technology.

There is no technology for extracting germanium during the processing of basic mineral raw materials, and methane is extracted to ensure safety in the coal mining process.

Partial use of methane gas is carried out to reduce the harmful impact on the natural environment, since the main part of the gas is released to the surface, i.e. into the air.

It is impossible to extract coal separately from germanium and methane.

When coal is extracted from the subsoil, germanium is also extracted along with it, which certifies the accounting of depleted reserves of both coal and germanium, and as a result is the object of calculating the fee for geological exploration work.

Extracting methane from coal seams using pumps and then feeding it to a boiler room for heating and hot water supply is the extraction of a mineral that is incidentally deposited in a coal deposit.