Coal is the most plentiful fossil fuel, and provides the cheapest means to generate electricity. It also has the reputation of being the dirtiest. New technologies for converting coal into ultra-clean gas and for capturing any resultant CO2 emissions offer a way to continue to use coal as the main fuel for the world's expanding power needs, while meeting the challenge of curbing pollution.
New technologies for converting coal into ultra-clean gas and for capturing any resultant CO2 emissions offer a way to continue to use coal, but is the technology feasible for large scale use?
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Have your say Add your comments to the fifth of our Energy Debates. Comments can be posted below within existing threads or create a new thread. You will need to register in order to participate, and you can also request to receive the Shell Writing Prize CD when you register. All Categories > Clean Coal > Is clean coal technology feasible?
Total Posts: 5 - Pages (1): [1]
Eventually it will be feasible. But at current such conversion techonology has proven to be too expensive for commercial use. Methane from sugarcane is a far cheaper alternative. Is enough effort being put into NOx, SOx etc reduction in the clean Coal processing; and what are the technologies available? The technology used for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants results in the elimination of all of the pollutants associated with conventional coal-burning power stations, including nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, heavy metals and particulates. The conversion of the coal into gas is done through pulverising and drying raw coal, then pressurising it and feeding it, together with oxygen and steam, through multiple burners into a gasification chamber. This operates at high temperatures--up to 1,700 degrees centigrade--and melts the ash in th coal. The ash drops to the bottom where it comes out as slag, which, after treatment, can be used in road construction. The resultant synthetic gas then goes through several cleaning steps to strip out all impurities, leaving it as unadulterated methane. There is an interesting debate going on in the US over optimal conditons for using clean coal technologies. An article in the Charlotte Observer reports on efforts by Shell Oil to persuade Duke Energy to use clean coal technology for its new Cliffside power station. Duke argues that coal gasification and CO2 storage for this plant does not make financial sense--although the company is building a coal gasification plant in Indiana, with underground CO2 storage being considered. Duke claims that the geology in Indiana is more appropriate than in Virginia, but the bottom line is that clean coal works out 30% more expensive. Total Posts: 5 - Pages (1): [1]
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