Plan for carrying experiments on lignite block

Setup for conducting experiments on lignite block is drawn above. Fresh Lignite blocks (6 in number) shall be collected from the mine site and araldite/cement shall be pasted all over the block and shall be packed in polythene bags in order to maintain the moisture content of the lignite. For experiment the lignite block will be placed in cubical metallic boxes of about 15 x 15 . As these blocks are of irregular shape therefore cement slurry mixed with water proofing agent will be fill in the gaps between lignite block and box. After setting of cement, two holes will be drilled in the lignite block from the top about 3-4 deep in the block. Tube of appropriate size will be inserted in the hole and will be set in place using cement slurry and water proofing agent and allowed to settle for 72 hrs. This process keeps lignite block firm and fixes its position. Water proofing agent is added to restrict movement of water. The lignite will be flushed with nutrient medium. Thereafter inoculum and nutrient medium will be injected through one of the hole (Injector) and both the holes will be closed for incubation period. Deflection of the pressure gauge will show the production of gas. The top cemented surface is then filled with water to keep a check if there is any leakage of gas. To the other side of the setup lies the producer pipe assembly which ends up in nozzle to facilitate gas collection using balloon. For measuring the volume of gas produced, water displacement setup will be attached.