As climate change continues, there is growing interest in the biological, in situ conversion of coal to methane, which is a cleaner and more efficient source of energy. The purpose of this study was to reveal the relationship between the surface properties of coals and the intrinsic microbial communities involved in methane formation. The material examined included nine coals varying in maturity and methane-bearing capacity. Compilation of data on wettability (θw) (measured by a sessile drop method) and microbial community composition (next-generation sequencing (NGS)) revealed that the occurrence of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and methanogenic Euryarchaeota was significantly, positively (P < 0.05) correlated with θw of coal. The dependence was the opposite for Actinobacteria. These results suggest that the groups of microorganisms responsible for the decomposition of organic matter in bituminous coals (hydrophobic) and lignites (hydrophilic) differ, which may impact methane formation in the seams. This is because Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes stimulate this process, while the influence of Actinobacteria is the opposite. Our work demonstrates for the first time the links between the surface properties of coals, geotectonic conditions, microbial ecophysiology and the methane-bearing capacity of the coals.

随着气候变化的持续，人们对将煤炭原位生物转化为甲烷的兴趣日益浓厚，甲烷是一种更清洁、更高效的能源。本研究的目的是揭示煤的表面性质与参与甲烷形成的内在微生物群落之间的关系。检查的材料包括九种成熟度和含甲烷能力不同的煤炭。润湿性（θw）（通过固着滴法测量）和微生物群落组成（下一代测序（NGS））数据的汇编表明，拟杆菌门、厚壁菌门和产甲烷广古菌门的出现呈显着正相关（P<0.05）与煤的θw。放线菌的依赖性则相反。这些结果表明，负责烟煤（疏水性）和褐煤（亲水性）中有机物分解的微生物群不同，这可能会影响煤层中甲烷的形成。这是因为拟杆菌门和厚壁菌门刺激这一过程，而放线菌门的影响则相反。我们的工作首次证明了煤的表面特性、大地构造条件、微生物生态生理学和煤的甲烷承载能力之间的联系。