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"Both JSPL (Jindal Steel - JtM) and the Tatas confirmed the allotments. A Tata Sons spokesperson said, “The Tata-Sasol JV has been awarded the coal-to-liquid project in Orissa. This is a right step towards securing fuel security for the country.”
Have you any idea why our own, US and WV, corporate and government leaders aren't stepping forward to publicly express the same sentiment?
A little "fuel security" would be nice, wouldn't it?
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We have belabored, in our dispatches, Eastman's Tennessee Coal-To-Chemicals enterprise, presenting it as a genuine, very real, domestic US, example of what we can actually do with coal; as a fulfilled avatar of coal's potentials.
Here, in "Potential for Chemicals from Coal", by an Eastman scientist, we have some more info on what we can accomplish, with coal, for ourselves, for WV, and for the US.
As follows:
"Victor H. Agredaa
aProcess Systems Engineering, Tennessee Eastman Co., Eastman Chemicals Division, Eastman Kodak Co., PO Box 511, Kingsport, TN 37662, USA
Abstract
The following is a discussion of the potential for chemicals from coal, based on existing technology (proven or under development), and a likely scenario for the transition from oil and natural gas to coal as the primary feedstock. Oil shale and tar sands are also alternative feedstocks, but will not be discussed in this article. On a world scale, coal is the most important alternative fuel and chemical feedstock in terms of reserves, availability, commercial acceptance, and technology development. Furthermore, similar arguments and reasoning apply to the future emergence of other fossil fuels as significant alternative fuel and chemical feedstocks."
By "other fossil fuels", we presume him to mean oil shale and, perhaps, the sometimes highly-carbonaceous shale, siltstone, and high-ash coal often found in mine waste accumulations.
Tennessee, Mike. Why not WV?
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Gasification is the initial processing step in converting coal, and biomass, into liquid fuels and chemicals.
We've mentioned GE's participation in this market previously, and noted the, striking to us, peculiarity that their coal gasification business operates out of their European headquarters.
Note the final paragraph in the excerpt. Our belief, which we will attempt to substantiate, is that nearly all of the units in operation, or planned, with the exception of, perhaps, Eastman's Tennessee Coal-to-Chemicals facility and the Many Stars CTL project out west, are/will be in China, India and Malaysia.
We believe that Sasol, and the planned Italian CTL venture, will rely on technology supplied by Lurgi, whom we have also introduced to you.
As follows:
"GE Energy Introduces its Largest Capacity Quench Gasifier, Configured for Large Gasification Projects
Friday, Apr 10, 2009
GE Energy's 1,800 ft3 High Capacity Quench Gasifier will be particularly attractive to customers in China. The country's expansion is driving an increase in the size of many coal-to-chemicals plants.Much of the equipment for plants built with GE Energy gasification license technology is fabricated locally in China.
GE Energy is a world leader in the development and commercialization of gasification technology, which has been used for six decades in the production of chemicals including ammonia, hydrogen and methanol.
GE Energy is a world leader in the development and commercialization of gasification technology, which has been used for six decades in the production of chemicals including ammonia, hydrogen and methanol.
Offering a coal throughput of ~3,000 metric tons per day...
Currently, there are 65 gasification plants licensed by GE Energy in commercial operation worldwide, with an additional 20 in engineering and/or construction phases.
Gasification converts coal into a fuel called synthesis gas, or syngas. The syngas has a variety of uses including the production of chemicals, fertilizers and power generation. Gasification allows the use of China's abundant domestic coal reserves for energy and industrial applications...".
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Some other folks are starting to think along our lines: That coal can help end our dependence on foreign sources of liquid petroleum, lead us into renewable sources of energy, and provide us with the means to improve our environment while doing so.
A brief excerpt:
"Would it work? Can coal be clean (through conversion to liquids, etc. - JtM) and help “green” America?"
"“Yes!”" assures Bisk." (Tsvi Bisk is a futurist, and Director of the Center for Strategic Futurist Thinking -JtM)
"“Yes!”" assures Bisk." (Tsvi Bisk is a futurist, and Director of the Center for Strategic Futurist Thinking -JtM)
Yep, coal can do that.
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Herein, we submit more information regarding Wyoming's Coal-to-Liquid fuel efforts. Their projects and plans are more extensive than we had earlier reported.
As example, we submit a few excerpts:
"In December 2007 Medicine Bow Fuel and Power contracted Exxon Mobil Corporation to use their proprietary Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) process technology to work in conjunction with the methanol plant to produce high grade gasoline from the crude methanol produced. The new 15,000bpd unit will be based on the proven MTG process technology which has been used for the last 20 years.
The MTG process will convert the methanol produced directly into low sulphur and low benzene gasoline. This can then be marketed directly or blended with refinery produced gasoline. The gasoline will inherently have low emissions of SOx and NOx because of its synthetic process origins. The technology is being adapted for the Medicine Bow project by EMRE the research and engineering arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation."
We had earlier reported on Exxon-Mobil's MTG technology, and cited some overseas projects where plans were proceeding to employ it.
And:
"The coal feedstock is being provided by Arch Coal who is a shareholder of DKRW Advanced Fuels and an advocate for coal to liquid fuel technologies."
Wyoming, Mike, and lignite. Distant from major markets and reliant on coal that's low in organic content and BTU's, and distant from major markets, relative to West Virginia run-of-mine bituminous; but, perhaps, comparable in quality to some of WV's coal mine waste accumulations - many of which do have potentially-recoverable organic content.
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