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Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction for Sustainable Resource Utilization

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 May 2026 | Viewed by 407

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
Interests: carbon neutrality geological technology (e.g., CO2 geological storage and utilization); exploration and development of unconventional natural gas from coal measures (e.g., coal-measure gas, coalbed methane, shale gas, tight gas, etc.)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Carbon Neutrality Institute, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: CO2 geological storage and utilization; exploration and development of unconventional natural gas from coal measures

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Carbon Neutrality Institute, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: CO2 geological storage and utilization; exploration and development of unconventional natural gas from coal measures; multiphase flow in porous media; rock mechanics for wellbore stability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Carbon Neutrality Institute, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: CO2 geological storage and utilization; exploration and development of unconventional natural gas from coal measures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, et al.) emission resulting from the massive consumption of fossil energy in human economic activities is the main cause of global warming. It has profoundly affected the balance of ecosystems, economic and social development, and human health. Against this backdrop, scholars and experts in various fields, including earth sciences, environmental and ecological sciences, chemistry, materials science, as well as management, economics, sociology, and computer science, have been committed to researching and exploring solutions for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable resource utilization. This has promoted the development of emerging technologies and industries, such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), low-concentration CH4 utilization, and new energy sources, among others. This Special Issue aims to explore cutting-edge fundamental theories and key engineering technologies related to greenhouse gas emission reduction, with a focus on their role in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable resource utilization, thereby providing practical solutions for global greenhouse gas emission reduction and sustainable development.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • CO2 and CH4 capture and purification technology and field tests;
  • CO2 chemical, biological, and mineralization utilization theory and technology;
  • CO2 geological storage theory, technology, and field tests;
  • CO2 enhanced oil/gas recovery theory, technology, and field tests;
  • CCUS technology integration, e.g., dynamic evaluation of CO2 storage capacity, CCUS source-sink matching, pipeline network design, CO2 transportation technology, monitoring and assessment method of CO2 leakage, and environmental risks;
  • Clean fossil energy development theory and technology, e.g., coal mine gas, coalbed methane, shale gas, etc.;
  • CH4 utilization technology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.  

Prof. Dr. Shiqi Liu
Dr. Sijie Han
Dr. Fansheng Huang
Dr. Sijian Zheng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • CCUS
  • CO2 and CH4 capture
  • CO2 and CH4 utilization
  • CO2 geological storage
  • clean fossil energy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 8460 KB  
Article
Simulation of Fracture Propagation and Permeability Enhancement in Heterogeneous Coal Seams During Hydraulic Fracturing Using a Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Damage Coupling Model
by Sukai Wang, Lipeng Zhang, Yonglong Li, Wei Liu, Xionghui Liu, Yan Liang, Songling Pu, Lei Sun, Shiqi Liu and Wenkai Wang
Sustainability 2025, 17(24), 10935; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172410935 - 7 Dec 2025
Viewed by 246
Abstract
The development of deep coalbed methane is hindered by the strong heterogeneity of coal mechanical properties and complex hydraulic fracturing behavior. To identify the key factors controlling fracture geometry and permeability enhancement, this study developed a thermo-hydro-mechanical-damage coupled model within a COMSOL Multiphysics [...] Read more.
The development of deep coalbed methane is hindered by the strong heterogeneity of coal mechanical properties and complex hydraulic fracturing behavior. To identify the key factors controlling fracture geometry and permeability enhancement, this study developed a thermo-hydro-mechanical-damage coupled model within a COMSOL Multiphysics 6.3-MATLAB R2022b co-simulation framework, incorporating a Weibull random field to characterize mechanical heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that tensile strength is the predominant factor governing both the fracturing damage zone and permeability-enhanced area, with its damage area extreme difference (10.094) and coefficient of variation (0.85) significantly surpassing those of other parameters. Poisson’s ratio and elastic modulus emerge as key secondary parameters, while compressive strength shows the lowest sensitivity. The parametric influences exhibit distinct patterns: tensile strength shows a strong negative correlation with damage and permeability-enhanced areas (up to 85% reduction), whereas the maximum permeability enhancement rate follows a non-monotonic trend, peaking at 215 when tensile strength reaches 3.33 MPa. Compressive strength minimally affects the damage area (~15%) but steadily improves the maximum permeability enhancement rate (7.5% increase). Elastic modulus exhibits an optimal value (8.93 GPa) for maximizing damage area, while negatively correlating with maximum permeability enhancement rate (9.1% decrease). Fracture morphology is differentially controlled by multiple parameters: low compressive strength promotes fracture deflection and branching, elastic modulus regulates fracture network complexity, and low Poisson’s ratio enhances coal brittleness to effectively activate natural fractures, thereby facilitating complex fracture network formation. Full article
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