Publications by authors named "Yojiro Ikegawa"
Article Synopsis
- Microbial life in subseafloor sediments is crucial for the Earth's carbon cycle, but the effects of geodynamic processes on these organisms are not well understood.
- Drilling into a submarine mud volcano revealed that around 90% of methane found there is produced by microbes, primarily at depths of 300 to 900 meters and temperatures between 16° to 30°C.
- Smaller populations of highly active microorganisms, specifically methanogens and acetogens, were identified, suggesting that fluid movement from subduction processes enhances microbial activity and implies that mud volcanoes may play a larger role in methane production than previously thought.
Geological CO2 sequestration in unmineable subsurface oil/gas fields and coal formations has been proposed as a means of reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. However, the feasibility of injecting CO2 into subsurface depends upon a variety of geological and economic conditions, and the ecological consequences are largely unpredictable. In this study, we developed a new flow-through-type reactor system to examine potential geophysical, geochemical and microbiological impacts associated with CO2 injection by simulating in-situ pressure (0-100 MPa) and temperature (0-70°C) conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF