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{{About|technological innovations related to coal pollution mitigation|the general concept of mitigation|Coal pollution mitigation}}

'''Clean coal technology''' is a collection of technologies being developed to attempt to help lessen the ] and to mitigate worldwide ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |title= Coal vs. Wind |accessdate=2008-12-30}}</ref> When coal is used as a fuel source, the gaseous emissions generated by the thermal decomposition of the coal include ] (SO<sub>2</sub>), ] (NO<sub>x</sub>), mercury, and other chemical byproducts that vary depending on the type of the coal being used. These emissions have been established to have a negative impact on the environment and human health, contributing to acid rain, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. 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 ]s and impurities from the coal, ] (see also ]), improved technology for treating ] gases to remove pollutants to increasingly stringent levels and at higher efficiency, ] technologies to capture the carbon dioxide from the ] and dewatering lower rank coals (]s) to improve the ], and thus the efficiency of the conversion into ].

In its original usage, the term "Clean Coal" was used to refer to technologies that were designed to reduce emission of pollutants associated with burning coal, such as washing coal at the mine. This step removes some of the sulfer and other contaminants, including rocks and soil. This makes coal cleaner and cheaper to transport. More recently, the definition of clean coal has been expanded to include carbon capture and storage.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Silent Epidemic: Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health|last=Lockwood|first=Alan|publisher=The MIT Press|year=2012|isbn=9780262017893|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|pages=2–5}}</ref> Clean coal technology usually addresses atmospheric problems resulting from burning coal. Historically, the primary focus was on SO<sub>2</sub> and NO<sub>x</sub>, the most important gases in causation of ], and particulates which cause visible air pollution and have ]. Concerns exist regarding the economic viability of these technologies and the timeframe of delivery,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/oct/30/fossilfuels-carbonemissions |publisher=The Guardian |title=Time to bury the ‘clean coal’ myth |accessdate=2008-12-23 | location=London | date=2008-10-30 | first=Fred | last=Pearce}}</ref> potentially high hidden economic costs in terms of social and ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/cost-of-coal.pdf |publisher=Greenpeace |title=The True Cost of Coal |accessdate=2008-12-23}}</ref> and the costs and viability of disposing of removed carbon and other toxic matter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/ccs/ |publisher=University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences |title=Carbon Capture and Storage |accessdate=2008-12-23 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219221240/http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/ccs |archivedate=2007-02-19 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/02/carbon-capture-storage.html |publisher=Discovery Channel |title=Carbon Capture Plans get Reality Check |accessdate=2008-12-23}}</ref>

==Technology==
Several different technological methods are available for the purpose of carbon capture as demanded by the clean coal concept:
*Pre-combustion capture – This involves ] of a feedstock (such as coal) to form ], which may be ] to produce a H<sub>2</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub>-], from which the CO<sub>2</sub> can be efficiently captured and separated, transported, and ultimately sequestered,<ref>{{cite web|title=Pre-combustion Carbon Capture Research|url=http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/carbon-capture-and-storage-research/carbon-capture-rd/pre-combustion-carbon|website=Energy.gov|publisher=Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy|accessdate=22 July 2014}}</ref> This technology is usually associated with ] process configurations.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18398/|title= Picking a Winner in Clean-Coal Technology}}</ref>
*Post-combustion capture – This refers to capture of CO<sub>2</sub> from exhaust gases of combustion processes.
*] – Fossil fuels such as coal are burned in a mixture of recirculated ] and oxygen, rather than in air, which largely eliminates nitrogen from the flue gas enabling efficient, low-cost CO<sub>2</sub> capture.<ref>{{cite web|title=R&D Facts - Oxy-Fuel Combustion|url=http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/factsheets/rd/R&D127.pdf|publisher=National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy|accessdate=22 July 2014}}</ref>
The ], a proposed 582 ] ]-based power plant, was expected to use pre-combustion capture of CO<sub>2</sub> to capture 65% of the CO<sub>2</sub> the plant produces, which would have been utilized and geologically sequestered in ] operations.<ref>{{cite web|title=IGCC Project Examples - Kemper County IGCC Project|url=http://www.netl.doe.gov/research/Coal/energy-systems/gasification/gasifipedia/project-examples#kemper|website=Gasifipedia|publisher=National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy|accessdate=22 July 2014}}</ref> However, after many delays and a cost runup to $7.5 billion (triple the initial budget), the coal gasification project was abandoned and as of late 2017, Kemper is under construction as a cheaper ] power plant.<ref name='ars_nat_gas_2017'>{{cite news|last1=Geuss|first1=Megan|title=$7.5 billion Kemper power plant suspends coal gasification|url=https://arstechnica.com/business/2017/06/7-5-billion-kemper-power-plant-suspends-coal-gasification/ |publisher=Ars Technica|date=2017-06-29 |accessdate=2017-07-01}}</ref>

The Saskatchewan Government's ] will use post-combustion, amine-based scrubber technology to capture 90% of the CO<sub>2</sub> emitted by Unit 3 of the power plant; this CO<sub>2</sub> will be pipelined to and utilized for enhanced oil recovery in the Weyburn oil fields.<ref>{{cite web|title=Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Sequestration Demonstration Project|url=http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/project/boundary-dam-integrated-carbon-capture-and-sequestration-demonstration-project|publisher=Global CCS Institute|accessdate=22 July 2014}}</ref>

]
An early example of a coal-based plant using (oxy-fuel) carbon-capture technology is Swedish company ]’s ] located in ], ], built by German firm ], which went on-line in September 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vattenfall.com/www/co2_en/co2_en/index.jsp |publisher=Vattenfall |title=Vattenfall's Project on CSS |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026074817/http://www2.vattenfall.com/www/co2_en/co2_en/index.jsp |archivedate=2010-10-26 |df= }}</ref><ref name="discovermagazine"/> The facility captures CO<sub>2</sub> and acid rain producing pollutants, separates them, and compresses the CO<sub>2</sub> into a liquid. Plans are to inject the CO<sub>2</sub> into depleted natural gas fields or other geological formations. Vattenfall opines that this technology is considered not to be a final solution for CO<sub>2</sub> 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.<ref name="discovermagazine">http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/25-can-clean-coal-actually-work/?searchterm=clean%20coal "Can Clean Coal Actually Work?" article in Feb. 2009 issue, p. 18, Retrieved 2009-05-11</ref>

Other examples of oxy-combustion carbon capture are in progress. ] has retrofitted a 30-MWth existing PC-fired power plant to operate in oxy-fuel mode; in Ciuden, Spain, Endesa has a newly built 30-MWth oxy-fuel plant using circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) technology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Overview of Oxy-fuel Combustion Technology for CO2 Capture|url=http://cornerstonemag.net/overview-of-oxy-fuel-combustion-technology-for-co2-capture/|website=Cornerstone Magazine|publisher=World Coal Association|accessdate=22 July 2014}}</ref> Babcock-ThermoEnergy's Zero Emission Boiler System (ZEBS) is oxy-combustion-based; this system features near 100% carbon-capture and according to company information virtually no air-emissions.<ref></ref>

Other carbon capture and storage technologies include those that ] low-rank coals. ] often contain a higher level of moisture content which contains a lower energy content per tonne. This causes a reduced burning efficiency and an increased emissions output. Reduction of moisture from the coal prior to combustion can reduce emissions by up to 50 percent.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

The UK government's is working towards a clean energy future and supports clean coal projects across the country. In August 2010, UK-based company ] announced a clean coal project with 90% carbon capture to be put forward to DECC. This would help the UK raise its profile amongst green leaders across the world. This proposed project, and processes it to create pure streams of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen is then used as an emissions-free fuel to run an ] whilst the carbon dioxide is captured. This UK project could provide a world-leading template for clean coal with CCS globally.

==Demonstration projects in the United States==
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began conducting a joint program with the industry and State agencies to demonstrate clean coal technologies large enough for commercial use. The program, called the Clean Coal Technology & Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI), has had a number of successes that have reduced emissions and waste from coal-based electricity generation.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/clean-coal-research/major-demonstrations/clean-coal-power-initiative | publisher= U.S. Department of Energy | title= Clean Coal Technology & The Clean Coal Power Initiative }}</ref> The ] has administered three rounds of CCPI funding and the following projects were selected during each round:<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/cctc/ccpi/index.html# |title= Major Demonstrations: Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) |publisher= NETL |accessdate=1 May 2012}}</ref>

*Round 1 CCPI Projects
** Advanced Multi-Product Coal Utilization By-Product Processing Plant
** Demonstration of Integrated Optimization Software at the Baldwin Energy Complex
** Gilberton Coal-to-Clean Fuels and Power Co-Production Project
** Increasing Power Plant Efficiency: Lignite Fuel Enhancement
** TOXECON Retrofit for Mercury and Multi-Pollutant Control on Three 90-MW Coal-Fired Boilers
** Western Greenbrier Co-Production Demonstration Project
** Commercial Demonstration of the Airborne Process
** Integration of Advanced Emission Controls to Produce Next-Generation Circulating Fluid Bed Coal Generating Unit
*Round 2 CCPI Projects
** Airborne Process Commercial Scale Demonstration Program
** Demonstration of a Coal-Based Transport Gasifier
** Mercury Species and Multi-Pollutant Control Project
** Mesaba Energy Project
*Round 3 CCPI Projects
** ] Project
** Antelope Valley Station Post-Combustion CO<sub>2</sub> Project
** ] Project
** ] Project
** ] Carbon Capture ] (switching to natural gas)
** Summit ]

These programs have helped to meet regulatory challenges by incorporating pollution control technologies into a portfolio of cost-effective regulatory compliance options for conventional and developmental coal-fired power plants. This portfolio has positioned the U.S. as a top exporter of clean coal technologies such as those used for SOx, NOx and mercury, and more recently for carbon capture, consistent with a goal of deploying advanced coal-based power systems in commercial service with improved efficiency and environmental performance to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations and market demands, leading to widespread, global deployment which will contribute to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The DOE continues its programs and initiatives through regional sequestration partnerships, a carbon sequestration leadership forum and the Carbon Sequestration Core Program, a CCS research and development program.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/sequestration/index.html | publisher=U.S. Department of Energy | title= Carbon Sequestration }}</ref>

According to a report by the assistant secretary for fossil energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, clean coal technology has paid measurable dividends. Technological innovation introduced through the CCT Program now provides consumers cost-effective, clean, coal-based energy.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/publications/Clean_Coal_Topical_Reports/Investment_pays_off.pdf | publisher= U.S. Department of Energy | title= Clean Coal Technology: The Investment Pays Off}}</ref>

==Clean coal and the environment==
{{Further|Environmental effects of coal}}

According to ] ], the burning of coal, a ], is a major contributor to ]. (See the UN ]). As 26% of the world's electrical generation in 2004 was from coal-fired generation (see ]), reaching the carbon dioxide reduction targets of the ] will require modifications to how coal is utilized.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Climate/clim-2.cfm?&CFID=1255395&CFTOKEN=96369856 |title= CRS Issue Brief for Congress - IB89005: Global Climate Change |publisher= National Council for Science and the Environment |date= August 13, 2001 |accessdate= 2008-09-13 |deadurl= yes |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081226020613/http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Climate/clim-2.cfm?&CFID=1255395&CFTOKEN=96369856 |archivedate= December 26, 2008 |df= }}</ref>

Coal, which is primarily used for the generation of electricity,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/coal/page/special/feature.html| publisher= Energy Information Administration | title=U.S. Coal Supply and Demand | accessdate=2009-01-18}}</ref> is the second largest domestic contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the US.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/emis_mon/emis_mon_co2.html |title=Estimates of Monthly CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions and Associated <sup>13</sup>C/<sup>12</sup> Values from Fossil-Fuel Consumption in the U.S.A. | accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref> 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.<ref name="ACCCE">{{cite web | url=http://www.americaspower.org/News/Press-Room/Press-Releases/ACCCE-Details-More-than-80-CO2-Capture-and-Storage-Projects | publisher= America's Power | title=ACCCE Details More than 80 CO<sub>2</sub> Capture and Storage Projects | accessdate=2009-01-12}}</ref> There is still concern about clean coal technology being perceived as more environmentally friendly than it is, and the term "Clean Coal" has been used as an example of "]".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Morris|first=Louise|date=2008-12-01|title=Greenwashing Coal|url=|journal=Chain Reaction|volume=104|pages=25|via=}}</ref> According to the Sierra Club, "Despite the industry's hype, there's no such thing as 'clean coal.' But new technologies and policies can help reduce coal plants' deadly emissions."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vault.sierraclub.org/sierra/200701/coal.asp|title=Can Coal Be Clean|last=Snell|first=Marilyn|date=January–February 2007|website=Sierra Club|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref>

Conjunction with enhanced oil recovery and other applications; commercial-scale CCS is currently being tested in the U.S. and other countries.{{by whom|date=November 2010}} Proposed CCS sites are subjected to extensive investigation and monitoring to avoid potential hazards, which could include leakage of sequestered CO<sub>2</sub> to the atmosphere, induced geological instability, or contamination of aquifers used for drinking water supplies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awwa.org/publications/MainStreamArticle.cfm?itemnumber=39815 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302185350/http://www.awwa.org/publications/MainStreamArticle.cfm?itemnumber=39815 |dead-url=yes |archive-date=March 2, 2009 |title=AWWA warns Congress about CO<sub>2</sub> injection concerns |publisher=American Water Works Association |date=July 29, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-27 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ohvec.org/links/news/archive/2005/fair_use/10_16.html |title=‘Clean coal’ push concerns environmental activists |publisher=Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition |date=October 16, 2005 |accessdate=2008-08-09}}</ref>

Supporters{{who|date=November 2010}} 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|date=November 2010}} admit that carbon sequestration is expensive.<ref>{{cite web |ssrn=1300126 |publisher=SSRN | title=Carbonomics: How to Fix the Climate and Charge it to OPEC |accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref>

== Clean coal and health ==
Clean Coal Technology results in a release of hazardous air pollutants and many of them have an adverse affect on human health.<ref name=":0" /> According to Alan H. Lockwood, MD, coal is linked to diseases of the Respiratory System, Cardiovascular System, and Nervous System.<ref name=":0" />

==See also==
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==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
* ] (2009) '''' - Climate change, Mar 5th 2009, From The Economist print edition, section
* ] (2009) '''' - Carbon capture and storage, Mar 5th 2009, From The Economist print edition

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |first=David |last=Biello |title=The Carbon Capture Fallacy |journal=Scientific American |volume=314 |issue=1 |date=January 2016 |pages=58–65|pmid=26887197 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0116-58|bibcode=2015SciAm.314a..58B }}

==External links==
*
*

===Magazines and Journals===
* {{Cite journal|date=July 29, 2008|title=Dark Energy - The Clean Coal Controversy|journal=PBS Documentary (Montana)|url=http://www.montanapbs.org/DarkEnergy/|format= }}
* {{Cite journal|date=April 10, 2009|title=Can the Earth be Coal-Friendly?|journal=PBS Documentary (Wyoming)|url= https://www.pbs.org/now/shows/515/index.html }}
* {{Cite journal|title=Clean coal technology: How it works|journal=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4468076.stm | date=2005-11-28 | accessdate=2010-01-02}}
* {{Cite journal|date=October 20, 2008|title= Clean coal for cars has a dirty side Getting liquid fuels from coal would not reduce carbon emissions, and would likely increase them |journal=Science News Web edition |url=http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/37829/title/Clean_coal_for_cars_has_a_dirty_side}}
* {{Cite journal|title=The Energy Challenge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/business/27grid.html/ | journal=The New York Times | first=Matthew L. | last=Wald | date=2008-08-27 | accessdate=2010-04-30}}
* {{Cite journal|title=Clean Coal Plant to Go Online |journal=Christian Science Monitor |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1219/p02s01-usgn.html/}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Stoft|first=Steven E.|date=November 17, 2008|title=Carbonomics: How to Fix the Climate and Charge it to OPEC|journal=Social Science Research Institute|ssrn=1300126}}
* {{Cite journal|date=October 15, 2013|title=In Clean Coal We Trust - or Do We?|journal=ParisTech Review | url=http://www.paristechreview.com/2013/10/15/clean-coal-trust/|format= }}

===Websites===

====Government Web Sites====
* {{Cite web|url=http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/|title=Clean Coal Technology & The Clean Coal Power Initiative|publisher=US Department of Energy|accessdate=2009-03-29}}
* {{Cite web|url=http://www.netl.doe.gov/cctc/|title=Clean Coal Technology Compendium |publisher=National Energy Technology Laboratory|accessdate=2009-03-29}}
* {{Cite web|url=http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/|title= Clean Coal Technology and The Clean Coal Power Initiative |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-29}}

====University Web Sites====

* {{Cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/coal/|title=The Future of Coal An Interdisciplinary MIT Study|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology|accessdate=2009-03-29}}
* {{Cite web|url=http://www.uc3.utah.edu |title= Utah Clean Coal Program|publisher=University of Utah|accessdate=2009-03-29}}
* {{Cite web|url=http://www.icse.utah.edu |title=Institute for Clean & Secure Energy|publisher=University of Utah|accessdate=2009-03-29}}

{{Environmental technology}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clean Coal Technology}}
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