TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: (A) Further comprises: collecting synthetic petroleum from the stacked particle bioreactor as it drains from the bioreactor; covering the stacked particle bioreactor with a gas impermeable barrier; inoculating the stacked particle bioreactor with a culture comprising at least one aerobic and/or facultative anaerobic microorganisms and aerobically fermenting organic carbonaceous material in the bioreactor prior to forming an anaerobic environment within the bioreactor; and aerating the bioreactor during at least a portion of the aerobic fermentation. In (A) the step of forming an anaerobic environment includes: purging the stacked particle bioreactor with argon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia or hydrogen gas; or reducing the oxygen concentration within the stacked particle bioreactor through aerobic fermentation. (B) Further comprises: collecting synthetic petroleum from the stacked particle bioreactor as it drains from the bioreactor; covering the stacked particle bioreactor with a gas impermeable barrier; inoculating the stacked particle bioreactor with a culture comprising one or more aerobic and/or facultative anaerobic microorganisms and aerobically fermenting organic carbonaceous material in the bioreactor prior to forming an anaerobic environment within the bioreactor; and coating the agglomerates with at least one material comprising asphaltic oil, waste oil, bitumen, tar, pitch or kerogen. In (B), the step of forming an anaerobic environment includes reducing the oxygen concentration within the stacked particle bioreactor through aerobic fermentation. Preferred Components: The substrates are comprised of at least one material comprising oil shale, coal, rock, asphalt, rubber or plant waste (including bark, corn cobs, nut shells, wood by-products or crop by-products). The organic carbonaceous material coated on the substrates comprises oil sands, oil shale (preferably a concentrate made from oil shale), asphaltic oil, waste oil, bitumen, tar, pitch, kerogen, coal (preferably having a metamorphic rank of bituminous coal, peat or less) or agricultural waste (including manure, fruit waste, straw, fermentation waste or pulverized plant waste). The gas impermeable barrier is a clay barrier layer or a plastic barrier. The particles comprise an organic carbonaceous material comprising oil sands, carbonaceous rock (comprising coal (having a metamorphic rank of bituminous coal or less or peat or less) or oil shale), asphalt, rubber, and agricultural waste (comprising at least one plant waste including bark, corn cobs, nut shells, wood by-products or crop by-products). EXAMPLE - The oil sands material was agglomerated into small pellets or particles of 1-3 cm in size. The agglomerated particles were inoculated with an adapted consortium of microbes that are capable of reducing the viscosity of bitumen and converting it to lighter molecular weight oil. The consortium was a mixed culture of aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms that are known to produce surfactant solvents and heat that help dislodge the oil. During the aerobic part of the process the oxygen level was at 1-10% or more to stimulate bitumen degradation and conversion to liquid oil. After most of the recoverable oil was removed, the oxygen level was reduced to facilitate methane generation. The remaining oil and low molecular weight organic compounds and the aerobic microbes themselves were quickly converted to acetate and other one or two carbon compounds by anaerobic fermenting microbes. The anaerobic consortium degraded the higher molecular weight bitumen or other organic hydrocarbon sources. The gas generated contained a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. A more highly concentrated methane gas was produced by removing the carbon dioxide from the gas mixture.