Biological methane production from coal, manure, sludge, wastes, or other carbonaceous feedstocks with simultaneous sequestration of CO

1. A method for generating methane from a carbonaceous feedstock with simultaneous sequestration of carbon dioxide, the method comprising anaerobically incubating a particulate alkaline earth metal salt in contact with a particulate and/or dissolved carbonaceous feedstock in a neutral or alkaline aqueous culture medium containing a culture of methanogenic bacteria consortia, and collecting methane generated therefrom; wherein at least a portion of carbon dioxide produced during the incubation reacts with the alkaline earth metal salt to form an alkaline earth metal carbonate, thereby sequestering the carbon dioxide, and the particulate alkaline earth metal salt is present in a quantity sufficient to maintain a basic pH and to sequester an amount of generated carbon dioxide such that the collected methane has a carbon dioxide content of less than about 15 percent by weight based on the weight of the methane.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the alkaline earth metal salt comprises a magnesium silicate material.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the alkaline earth metal salt comprises a calcium silicate material.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the alkaline earth metal salt comprises an alkaline earth silicate optionally containing one or more additional divalent or multivalent metal silicates.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbonaceous feedstock comprises coal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the coal is high-sulfur coal.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the coal contains heavy metals.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbonaceous feedstock comprises tar sand.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbonaceous feedstock comprises municipal waste or a leachate from a municipal waste.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbonaceous feedstock comprises manure, biosolids from waste water treatment, or agricultural residues.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the alkaline earth metal salt in the particulate mixture has a mean particle size in the range of about 0.01 to about 25 mm.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the carbonaceous feedstock in the particulate mixture has a mean particle size in the range of about 0.01 to about 25 mm.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous culture medium has a pH in the range of about 7 to about 10.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the culture of methanogenic bacteria comprises one or more cultures from a water from methane producing coal bed, a manure digester, a municipal waste, an activated sludge from waste water treatment, or an isolated culture of an individual methanogenic bacteria consortia.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the collected methane has a carbon dioxide content of less than about 10 percent by weight based on the weight of the methane.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the mixture is incubated at a temperature in the range of about 10 to about 65° C.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the mixture is incubated in a reactor comprising a system to restrict introduction of oxygen and for maintaining an aqueous environment, and is adapted to mix the particulate carbonaceous feedstock with the particulate alkaline earth metal salt, and the methanogenic bacterial culture, and further includes a collector for collecting gaseous methane as it evolves.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the mixture is incubated in a coal seam, a coal mine, a large hole or quarry, a seam of silicate rocks, a waste water treatment plant, an anaerobic digester, or a landfill.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein an alkaline earth carbonate is recovered in addition to methane.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the alkaline earth carbonate is left undisturbed in the original hole, seam, or quarry where the methanogenic bacterial culture was deposited to produce methane.

21. The method of claim 1 where the alkaline earth carbonate is utilized as a long term storage for carbon dioxide.