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Clean coal technology

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Revision as of 02:37, 28 April 2010 by 65.254.110.217 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This redirect is about technological innovations related to clean coal. For clean coal as a general concept, see clean coal.
It has been suggested that this article be merged with Clean coal. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2009.

Clean coal technology is considered by many to be an oxymoron. Defined by some as an umbrella term used to describe technologies being developed that aim to reduce the environmental impact of coal energy generation, it implies that it is possible to make coal a fuel source that is free of (or very low in) carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutant emissions. 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. Concerns exist regarding the economic viability of these technologies and the timeframe of delivery, potentially high hidden economic costs in terms of social and environmental damage, and the costs and viability of disposing of removed carbon and other toxic matter. More, the byproducts of coal power production range from fly ash sludge ponds full of mercury, arsenic and sulfur in unlined ponds that can leak into the water supply

Coal, which is primarily used for the generation of electricity, is the second largest domestic contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the USA. 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, as well as by putting more than $50 billion towards the development and deployment of clean coal technologies, including carbon capture and storage. The expenditure has been unsuccessful to date in that there is not a single commercial scale coal fired power station in the US that captures and stores more than token amounts of CO2.

The world's first "clean coal" power plant went on-line in September 2008 in Spremberg, Germany. The plant is state-owned and has been built by the Swedish firm Vattenfall. The plant is state owned because of the high costs of this technology, since private investors are only willing to invest in other sources such as nuclear, solar and wind. 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.

Clean Coal and the environment

Further information: Environmental effects of coal, mountaintop removal mining, and Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill

According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the burning of coal, a fossil fuel, is a major contributor to climate change and 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.

Some in the coal industry and the U.S. Department of Energy 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. 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. 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. 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.

Supporters 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 acknowledge that economics can be problematic for carbon sequestration.

See also

Notes

  1. "Coal vs. Wind". Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  2. "The Future of Coal". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  3. "Time to bury the 'clean coal' myth". London: The Guardian. 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  4. "The True Cost of Coal" (PDF). Greenpeace. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  5. "Carbon Capture and Storage". University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  6. "Carbon Capture Plans get Reality Check". Discovery Channel. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  7. "What is Underground Coal Slurry Injection?". Sludge Safety. Retrieved 2009-4-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. "EPA study: Big cancer risks from coal-ash ponds". EPA. Retrieved 2009-4-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. "U.S. Coal Supply and Demand". Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  10. "Estimates of Monthly CO2 Emissions and Associated C/ Values from Fossil-Fuel Consumption in the U.S.A." Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  11. "ACCCE Details More than 80 CO2 Capture and Storage Projects". America's Power. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  12. http://www.thisisreality.org "This Is Reality" citing US EPA Retrieved=2009-01-22
  13. ^ 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
  14. The Economist The illusion of clean coal
  15. "CRS Issue Brief for Congress - IB89005: Global Climate Change". National Council for Science and the Environment. August 13, 2001. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  16. "ACCCE Details More than 80 CO2 Capture and Storage Projects". America's Power. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  17. "AWWA warns Congress about CO2 injection concerns". American Water Works Association. July 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  18. "'Clean coal' push concerns environmental activists". Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. October 16, 2005. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  19. "Carbonomics: How to Fix the Climate and Charge it to OPEC". SSRN. Retrieved 2009-01-01.

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