Clean coal technology

This article is about technological innovations related to clean coal. For clean coal as a general concept, see clean coal.

Clean coal technology is a collection of technologies being developed to reduce the environmental impact of coal energy generation.^[1] When coal is used as a fuel source, the gaseous emmissions generated by the thermal decomposition of the coal, include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, and other chemical byproducts that vary depending of the type of the coal being used. These emmissions have been established to have a negative impact on the environment, contributing to acid rain or climate change. As a result, clean coal technologies are being developed to remove or reduce pollutant emissions to the atmosphere. Some of the techniques that would be used to accomplish this include chemically washing minerals and impurities from the coal, gasification (see also IGCC), treating the flue gases with steam to remove sulfur dioxide, carbon capture and storage technologies to capture the carbon dioxide from the flue gas and dewatering lower rank coals (brown coals) to improve the calorific value, and thus the efficiency of the conversion into electricity.

Clean coal technology usually addresses atmospheric problems resulting from burning coal. Historically, the primary focus was on sulfur dioxide and particulates, since it is the most important gas in the causation of acid rain. More recent focus has been on carbon dioxide (due to its impact on global warming) as well as other pollutants.^[2] Concerns exist regarding the economic viability of these technologies and the timeframe of delivery,^[3] potentially high hidden economic costs in terms of social and environmental damage,^[4] and the costs and viability of disposing of removed carbon and other toxic matter.^[5][6]

Coal, which is primarily used for the generation of electricity,^[7] is the second largest domestic contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the USA.^[8] The public has become more concerned about global warming which has led to new legislation. The coal industry has responded by running advertising touting clean coal in an effort to counter negative perceptions and claiming more than $50 billion towards the development and deployment of "traditional" clean coal technologies over the past 30 years; and promising $500 million towards carbon capture and storage research and development.^[9]

The world's first "clean coal" power plant went on-line in September 2008 in Spremberg, Germany. The plant is owned by the swedish company Vattenfall and has been built by the german firm Siemens.^[10] The plant is called Schwarze Pumpe power station. The facility captures CO₂ and acid rain producing sulfides, separates them, and compresses the CO₂ into a liquid state. Plans are to inject the CO₂ into depleted natural gas fields or other geological formations. This technology is considered not to be a final solution for CO₂ reduction in the atmosphere, but provides an achievable solution in the near term while more desirable alternative solutions to power generation can be made economically practical.^[10]

Clean coal and the environment

Further information: Environmental effects of coal

According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the burning of coal, a fossil fuel, is a major contributor to global warming. (See the UN IPCC Fourth Assessment Report). As 25.5% of the world's electrical generation in 2004 was from coal-fired generation (see World energy resources and consumption), reaching the carbon dioxide reduction targets of the Kyoto Protocol will require modifications to how coal is utilized.^[11]

An oxyfuel CCS power plant operation filters the exhaust fumes so as to make clean CO₂ before it can be stored in an underground layer

Some in the coal industry^[who?] and the U.S. Department of Energy^[who?] refer to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as the latest in "clean coal" technologies. The "clean coal" terminology is generally not endorsed by professionals in CCS, and is actively opposed by environmental organizations that favor CCS.^{[citation needed]} CCS is a means to capture carbon dioxide from any source, compress it to a dense liquid-like state, and inject and permanently store it underground. Currently, there are more than 80 carbon capture and sequestration projects underway in the United States.^[12] All components of CCS technology have been used for decades in conjunction with enhanced oil recovery and other applications; commercial-scale CCS is currently being tested in the U.S. and other countries.^{[by whom?]} Proposed CCS sites are subjected to extensive investigation and monitoring to avoid potential hazards, which could include leakage of sequestered CO₂ to the atmosphere, induced geological instability, or contamination of aquifers used for drinking water supplies.^[13][14]

Supporters^[who?] of clean coal use the Great Plains Synfuels plant to support the technical feasibility of carbon dioxide sequestration. Carbon dioxide from the coal gasification is shipped to Canada where it is injected into the ground to aid in oil recovery. Supporters^[who?] admit that carbon sequestration is expensive.^[15]

See also

• Biochar
• Carbon capture and storage
• Carbon sequestration
• Coal phase out
• Coal-water slurry fuel
• Energy development
• Fluidized bed combustion
• Futuregen
• Greenwash
• James E. Hansen
• JEA Northside Generating Station (Jacksonville)
• Kyoto Protocol
• Mitigation of global warming
• Mountaintop removal mining
• Refined coal
• Syngas
• Waste management

Notes

1. ^ "Coal vs. Wind". Union of Concerned Scientists. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html. Retrieved 2008-12-30. 
2. ^ "The Future of Coal". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://web.mit.edu/coal/. Retrieved 2008-12-23. 
3. ^ Pearce, Fred (2008-10-30). "Time to bury the ‘clean coal’ myth". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/30/fossilfuels-carbonemissions. Retrieved 2008-12-23. 
4. ^ "The True Cost of Coal". Greenpeace. http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/cost-of-coal.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-23. 
5. ^ "Carbon Capture and Storage". University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences. http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/ccs/. Retrieved 2008-12-23. 
6. ^ "Carbon Capture Plans get Reality Check". Discovery Channel. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/02/carbon-capture-storage.html. Retrieved 2008-12-23. 
7. ^ "U.S. Coal Supply and Demand". Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/coal/page/special/feature.html. Retrieved 2009-01-18. 
8. ^ "Estimates of Monthly CO₂ Emissions and Associated ¹³C/¹² Values from Fossil-Fuel Consumption in the U.S.A.". http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/emis_mon/emis_mon_co2.html. Retrieved 2009-01-01. 
9. ^ "ACCCE Details More than 80 CO₂ Capture and Storage Projects". America's Power. http://www.americaspower.org/News/Press-Room/Press-Releases/ACCCE-Details-More-than-80-CO2-Capture-and-Storage-Projects. Retrieved 2009-01-12. 
10. ^ ^{a b} http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/25-can-clean-coal-actually-work/?searchterm=clean%20coal "Can Clean Coal Actually Work?" article in Feb. 2009 issue, page 18, Retrieved 2009-05-11
11. ^ "CRS Issue Brief for Congress - IB89005: Global Climate Change". National Council for Science and the Environment. August 13, 2001. http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Climate/clim-2.cfm?&CFID=1255395&CFTOKEN=96369856. Retrieved 2008-09-13. 
12. ^ "ACCCE Details More than 80 CO₂ Capture and Storage Projects". America's Power. http://www.americaspower.org/News/Press-Room/Press-Releases/ACCCE-Details-More-than-80-CO2-Capture-and-Storage-Projects. Retrieved 2008-12-01. 
13. ^ "AWWA warns Congress about CO₂ injection concerns". American Water Works Association. July 29, 2008. http://www.awwa.org/publications/MainStreamArticle.cfm?itemnumber=39815. Retrieved 2008-08-27. 
14. ^ "‘Clean coal’ push concerns environmental activists". Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. October 16, 2005. http://ohvec.org/links/news/archive/2005/fair_use/10_16.html. Retrieved 2008-08-09. 
15. ^ "Carbonomics: How to Fix the Climate and Charge it to OPEC". SSRN. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1300126. Retrieved 2009-01-01. 

References

• The Economist (2009) The illusion of clean coal - Climate change, Mar 5th 2009, From The Economist print edition, section
• The Economist (2009) Trouble in store - Carbon capture and storage, Mar 5th 2009, From The Economist print edition

External links

Magazines and Journals

• "Dark Energy - The Clean Coal Controversy". PBS Documentary (Montana). July 29, 2008. http://www.montanapbs.org/DarkEnergy/. 
• "Can the Earth be Coal-Friendly?". PBS Documentary (Wyoming). April 10, 2009. http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/515/index.html. 
• "Clean coal technology: How it works". BBC News. 2005-11-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4468076.stm. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
• "Clean coal for cars has a dirty side Getting liquid fuels from coal would not reduce carbon emissions, and would likely increase them". Science News Web edition. October 20, 2008. http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/37829/title/Clean_coal_for_cars_has_a_dirty_side. 
• Wald, Matthew L. (2008-08-27). "The Energy Challenge". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/business/27grid.html/. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
• "Clean Coal Plant to Go Online". Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1219/p02s01-usgn.html/. 
• Stoft, Steven E. (November 17, 2008). "Carbonomics: How to Fix the Climate and Charge it to OPEC". Social Science Research Institute. SSRN 1300126. 

Websites

Government Web Sites

• "Clean Coal Technology & The Clean Coal Power Initiative". US Department of Energy. http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 
• "Clean Coal Technology Compendium". National Energy Technology Laboratory. http://www.netl.doe.gov/cctc/. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 
• "Clean Coal Technology and The Clean Coal Power Initiative". United States Department of Energy. http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 

University Web Sites

• "The Future of Coal An Interdisciplinary MIT Study". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://web.mit.edu/coal/. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 
• "Utah Clean Coal Program". University of Utah. http://www.uc3.utah.edu. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 
• "Institute for Clean & Secure Energy". University of Utah. http://www.icse.utah.edu. Retrieved 2009-03-29.