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Herein more evidence that, not only can we convert our coal into liquid fuels, but that we can do so in economically and environmentally sound ways.
The excerpt:
a US Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, PO Box 10940, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA
b Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group, PO Box 18288, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA
Abstract
The gasification of carbon-based solid (i.e., coal - JtM) and liquid materials has been around for nearly two hundred years and was used extensively for the production of town gas in the latter part of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although this application has all but vanished, other applications have evolved, thus continuing gasification's important role as a commercial technology. Numerous advancements have been made since its introduction, leading to a more cost-competitive, thermally efficient, and environmentally friendly technology. However, as deregulation of the power industry continues and as increased environmental pressures are placed on industry, opportunities for further technological advances and expanded applications to meet these challenges will be created. In addition, these changes will likely restructure the technology and ownership objectives, placing premiums on efficiency, environmental acceptability, and the ability to utilize multiple feedstocks and produce multiple products. In the twentieth century, gasification will be the heart of a new generation of energy plants, possessing both feedstock and product flexibility, near-zero emission of pollutants, high thermal efficiency and capture of carbon dioxide, and low feedstock and operating and maintenance (O&M) costs."
So, let's recap the highlights: Gasification of coal, for liquid fuel manufacture and other useful purposes, is "cost-competitive, ... efficient, and environmentally friendly" with "near-zero ... pollutants".
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The abstract is sparse, and the authors reference what we contend is outdated thinking about CO2 - i.e., "underground storage". But, the article is more evidence that liquid fuel and electrical power can be produced from coal, at the same time, in the same facility, with resultant economic and environmental benefits.
Excerpts as follows:
"TRANSPORTATION FUEL FROM COAL WITH LOW CO2 EMISSIONS
Fuat Celik, Eric D. Larson and Robert H. Williams
Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544 USA
Summary
We present energy and carbon balances and cost estimates based on detailed Aspen Plus process simulations for five plant designs to co-produce dimethyl ether (DME) and electricity from coal. Four of the designs include capture of CO2 for long-term underground storage. We also illustrate the potential DME offers for reducing emissions by facilitating a shift to more energy-efficient vehicles."
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We have rather extensively documented the potential of collecting and processing the Carbon Dioxide that arises from our use of coal, and other industrial processes, and using the reduction products to manufacture more liquid fuel and useful organic chemicals.
The science is even more advanced than we had previously indicated. And, processes are being developed that would reduce the energy inputs required to transmute CO2 into useful hydrocarbons - such as gasoline.
Into additional evidence of that fact, we submit the attached article.
The excerpt, with comment following:
"It has been shown that CO2 could be transformed into hydrocarbons when it is in contact with water vapour and catalysts under UV irradiation. This paper presents an experimental set-up to study the process employing a new approach of heterogeneous photocatalysis using pellet form of catalyst instead of immobilized catalysts on solid substrates. In the experiment, CO22 pellets and illuminated by various UV lamps of different wavelengths for 48 h continuously. The gaseous products extracted were identified using gas chromatography. The results confirmed that CO2 could be reformed in the presence of water vapour and TiO2 pellets into CH4 under continuous UV irradiation at room conditions. It showed that when UVC (253.7 nm) light was used, total yield of methane was approximately 200 ppm which was a fairly good reduction yield as compared to those obtained from the processes using immobilized catalysts through thin-film technique and anchoring method. CO and H2 were also detected. Switching from UVC to UVA (365 nm) resulted in significant decrease in the product yields. The pellet form of catalyst has been found to be attractive for use in further research on photocatalytic reduction (of Carbon Dioxide)..." mixed with water vapour in saturation state was discharged into a quartz reactor containing porous TiO
In other words, as we've been saying, CO2 can be transformed, when combined with water (to get the needed Hydrogen), into "hydrocarbons", and, just like green plants, we can effect the transmutation using the economical power of light (i.e. "UV irradiation" - JtM).
Carbon Dioxide arising from our use of coal is not a pollutant. It is a raw material resource.
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In this report, Chinese researchers, perhaps associated with China's massive Coal-to-Oil initiative, reveal that the valuable liquid fuel, Dimethyl Ether (DME) and electricity can be produced at the same time from one coal conversion plant.
Part of the article's focus is on the use of natural gas as a co-feed for such dual-purpose facilities. As we've separately documented, natural gas, as is being done in Quatar, can, like coal, be converted into liquid fuel.
Some excerpts:
"Study on co-feed and co-production system based on coal and natural gas for producing DME and electricity"
Li Zhou, Shanying Hu, Yourun Lia and Qihong Zhou
Chemical Engineering Department, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Abstract
China, an oil and NG scarcity country, is coal dependent, and this situation will remain for a long time. DME, as an ideal replacer of liquid fuel, is considered to develop. The efficient way of producing DME from coal is under research. Considering the components of coal and natural gas (NG), we choose co-feed (coal and NG) and co-production (electricity and DME) system (Co–Co system) to be studied on. Three systems which are the standalone system, co-generation system and Co–Co system are simulated by Aspen-Plus. The simulation results concerning material flows, exergy flows, CO2 emission and the evaluation indexes are obtained. It is found that Co–Co system has higher exergy efficiency, higher economic benefit, and it is environmental friendly because of releasing the least CO2.The analysis illustrates that Co–Co system has obviously advantage over the other two kinds of systems."
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We present more documentation attesting to the fact that liquid fuel and electricity can be produced concurrently, at the same facility, from coal; and that such a design results in reduced CO2 emissions, overall, relative to petroleum-based fuels, as well as other efficiencies.
This Princeton study confirms information we earlier sent you from researchers in China.
An excerpt from the linked article:
"Robert H. Williams and Eric D. Larson
Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University Guyot Hall, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544-1003, USA.
ABSTRACT:
Direct and indirect liquefaction technologies for making synthetic liquid fuels from coal are compared. It is shown that although direct liquefaction conversion processes might be more energy-efficient, overall system efficiencies for direct and indirect liquefaction are typically comparable if end-use as well as production efficiencies are taken into account. It is shown that some synfuels derived via indirect liquefaction can outperform fuels derived from crude oil with regard to both air-pollutant and greenhouse-gas emissions, but direct liquefaction-derived synfuels cannot. Deployment now of some indirect liquefaction technologies could put coal on a track consistent with later addressing severe climate and other environmental constraints without having to abandon coal for energy, but deploying direct liquefaction technologies cannot. And finally, there are much stronger supporting technological infrastructures for indirect than for direct liquefaction technologies. Prospective costs in China for some indirect liquefaction-derived fuels are developed but not costs for direct liquefaction-based synfuels, because experience with the latter is inadequate for making meaningful cost projections. Especially promising is the outlook for the indirect liquefaction product dimethyl ether, a versatile and clean fuel that could probably be produced in China at costs competitive with crude oil-derived liquid fuels. An important finding is the potential for realizing, in the case of dimethyl ether, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissionsrelative to crude oil-derived hydrocarbon fuels, even in the absence of an explicit climate change mitigation policy, when this fuel is co-produced with electricity."
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