TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Components: The culture of methanogenic bacteria comprises at least one culture from coal bed methane produced water, a manure digester, a municipal waste, an activated sludge from waste water treatment, or an isolated culture of individual methanogenic bacteria consortia.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The mixture is incubated at 10-65 degrees C. 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. The reactor further includes a collector for collecting gaseous methane as it evolves. The mixture is incubated in a coal seam, coal mine, large hole or quarry, seam of silicate rocks, waste water treatment plant, anaerobic digester, or landfill. In the method, an alkaline earth carbonate is recovered in addition to methane. Preferred Components: The alkaline earth metal salt comprises: a magnesium silicate material; calcium silicate material; or an alkaline earth silicate optionally containing at least one additional divalent or multivalent metal silicate. The carbonaceous feedstock comprises coal or tar sand. The coal is high-sulfur coal. The coal contains heavy metals. The carbonaceous feedstock comprises municipal waste or a leachate from a municipal waste. The carbonaceous feedstock comprises manure, bio-solids from waste water treatment, or agricultural residues. The alkaline earth metal salt and the carbonaceous feedstock in the particulate mixture have a mean particle size of 0.01-25 mm. The aqueous culture medium has a pH of 7-10. The generated methane has a carbon dioxide content of less than 15 wt.%, based on the weight of the methane. The alkaline earth carbonate is left undisturbed in the original hole, seam, or quarry where the methanogenic bacterial culture was deposited to produce methane. The alkaline earth carbonate is considered a long term storage for carbon dioxide. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.