The Impact of Community-Driven Methane Oxidation on the Fate of Fugitive Methane in Shallow Groundwater

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dc.contributor.advisorMayer, Bernd
dc.contributor.advisorStrous, Marc
dc.contributor.authorKuloyo, Olukayode Olakunle
dc.contributor.committeememberStein, Lisa Y.
dc.contributor.committeememberHubert, Casey R. J.
dc.contributor.committeememberCey, Edwin E.
dc.contributor.committeememberRyan, M. Cathryn
dc.contributor.committeememberLarter, Stephen R.
dc.date2019-11
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-16T18:29:59Z
dc.date.available2019-09-16T18:29:59Z
dc.date.issued2019-09-10
dc.description.abstractPetroleum development from unconventional reservoirs has increased global concerns over the impacts of fugitive methane on freshwater aquifers and the climate. Although methane leakage from wells is well-documented, information regarding the consequences on groundwater is limited. To address these concerns, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary investigation of the migration and fate, and oxidation of fugitive methane in shallow aquifers was conducted. Ten weeks of methane injection and thirty-six weeks of monitoring using surface efflux and ground-penetrating radar measurements, aqueous and isotope geochemistry, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and microbial cell counts, was conducted at the CFB research aquifer in Borden, Ontario, Canada. The results showed that a significant fraction of methane vented to the atmosphere while an equal portion persisted in the aquifer despite active growth of methanotrophic bacteria. Methane oxidation in the aquifer was relatively ineffective due to oxygen-limitation. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that even small-volume releases of methane gas can cause extensive and persistent free phase and solute plumes emanating from leaks, that are detectable only by contaminant hydrogeology monitoring at high resolution. The influence of methane, oxygen and alternate electron acceptors such as nitrate on methane oxidation and microbial communities was investigated further using sand-packed, continuous culture mesocosms. The mesocosms were inoculated with groundwater from the methane injection experiments and maintained for thirty-six weeks with varying methane and oxygen concentrations. Methane oxidation was found to be strictly dependent on oxygen and led to the enrichment of 13C in residual methane. Nitrate stimulated the growth of nitrate-reducing bacteria but did not significantly impact methane oxidation. Methylotrophic populations were shown to persist for many weeks in the absence of methane, making them a powerful marker for active as well as past methane leaks. Amplicon and shotgun metagenome sequences of samples from the mesocosms revealed complex bacterial communities consisting of non-methylotrophs alongside Alphaproteobacterial and Gammaproteobacterial methylotrophs. Metaproteome analyses and biomass delta 13C values determined from the metaproteome demonstrated communal methane oxidation in the mesocosms by identifying several non-methylotrophic populations that co-metabolized methane-derived C1 substrates such as methanol, formaldehyde and formate. Altogether, this work expands current knowledge on the migration and fate of methane in shallow aquifers, showing that effective detection and monitoring of methane in groundwater requires high-resolution multidisciplinary approaches, with potential implications for minimizing the impacts of gas exploration from unconventional reservoirs.en_US
dc.identifier.citationKuloyo, O. O. (2019). The Impact of Community-Driven Methane Oxidation on the Fate of Fugitive Methane in Shallow Groundwater (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37004
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/110939
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyScienceen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectAerobic methane oxidationen_US
dc.subjectGroundwateren_US
dc.subjectMethaneen_US
dc.subjectMethylocystisen_US
dc.subjectNatural gasen_US
dc.subjectMesocosmen_US
dc.subjectCross-feedingen_US
dc.subjectMethylotrophen_US
dc.subjectUnconventional reservoirsen_US
dc.subject.classificationEcologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationMicrobiologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationGeochemistryen_US
dc.subject.classificationGeologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationHydrologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationEnvironmental Sciencesen_US
dc.subject.classificationEnergyen_US
dc.titleThe Impact of Community-Driven Methane Oxidation on the Fate of Fugitive Methane in Shallow Groundwateren_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineGeoscienceen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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