Lecture 12 Chapter 7 Conclusion

Coal Conversion

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Pollutants from making Synthetic Fuels

• Synthetic fuels burn as cleanly as other fuels because pollutants are removed back at the plant

• IL #6 coal has 10% ash and 4% sulfur• Using 6 million tons/year of IL #6 coal

produces 600,000 tons/year of ash 240,000 tons/year of sulfur

• These pollutants must be handled by the synthetic fuel plant environmental controls

Coal to Gasoline

• Has been done large scale a couple different times Germany during WWII South Africa during sanctions because of apartheid

• Coal and water are turned into a gaseous mixture (gasification); not burning

• Sulfur is removed• Carbon and hydrogen molecules react in

Fischer-Tropsch reaction to make liquid • Ammonia is removed

Sasol II Plant

South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation

Company Status

Sasol: South African Synthetic Oils

Coal to Gasoline - Advantages

• Large amount of coal in U.S.

• Very available in the U.S.

• Price of coal very low

• Very little competition for coal

Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG)

• Coal is dried and crushed to right size• Coal and steam gasified into CH4, CO, H2, CO2,

H2S, NH3, H2O• Carbon monoxide and water turned into carbon

dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2)• CO2 and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are removed• Carbon monoxide and hydrogen react to form

synthetic natural gasCO + 3H2 → CH4 + H2O

• Heating value is 900-1000 Btu/ft3 very similar to typical natural gas

Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG)

Coal to SNG - Advantages

• The price of natural gas has risen sharply There could be economic advantages to

making synthetic natural gas

• Most known natural gas fields are vulnerable to hurricanes SNG can be made anywhere there is coal

away from many natural disasters

• Allows typical natural gas sources to exist longer

Coal to SNG - Disadvantages• Large amounts of coal and water needed• SNG plant to make 75 billion cubic feet per year

(~3% of what is currently used) 6 million tons/year of coal

• Twice as much as handled by typical large power plant• Output of 7 average coal mines in IL

6 million gallons/day of water• 2.5 million gallons/day of water appear in SNG and are lost

to region• 3.5 million gallons/day of water needed for cooling and

returned back to the region (lake)

April 2009: 1,735 billions ft3 – U.S. Natural Gas Total Consumption

Coal to SNG – Disadvantages

Cost

– The plants to make synthetic liquids and gases are very large and expensive

(About $3 billion for commercial sized plant)

– This expense is much more than a refinery costs to refine typical oil or natural gas

– The additional expense makes synthetic fuels expensive and not competitive with naturally occurring fuels (But Sasol has been competitive for many years now.)

Conclusions

Turning one fuel into a different fuel:– Seems valuable to use U.S. fuels– Currently, cost of plant makes the cost of synthetic

fuels much more than naturally occurring fuels– Synthetic fuels require large amounts of preparation

and refining which is difficult and expensive– Synthetic fuels require large amounts of water– What cost (monetary, environmental, etc.) are we

willing to pay to have synthetic fuels?

2030 Initiative

Net zero CO2 emissions by year 2030

– Technique actively pursued is injection into unmineable coal seams

– Use CO2 to force coal bed methane to the well for extraction

– Roughly the same as the Illinois Future Gen Project

Confluence of Presidential Initiatives

Integrated Sequestration, Hydrogenand Energy Research Initiative

FutureGen

Global ClimateChange Initiative

Hydrogen FuelInitiative

Clear SkiesInitiative

Tomorrow’s Hydrogen

Why is Hydrogen from Coal Important?Why is Hydrogen from Coal Important?

• 95% of U.S. hydrogen comes from natural gas95% of U.S. hydrogen comes from natural gas• Future “Hydrogen Economy” must have more Future “Hydrogen Economy” must have more

diversified sourcesdiversified sources• Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come

from renewables, nuclear power, fusion, etc.from renewables, nuclear power, fusion, etc.

• 95% of U.S. hydrogen comes from natural gas95% of U.S. hydrogen comes from natural gas• Future “Hydrogen Economy” must have more Future “Hydrogen Economy” must have more

diversified sourcesdiversified sources• Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come

from renewables, nuclear power, fusion, etc.from renewables, nuclear power, fusion, etc.

But coal can also be a major feedstockBut coal can also be a major feedstock

• Most abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if Most abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if transportation fuel today was hydrogen, transportation fuel today was hydrogen, potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 billion tonsbillion tons

• Can be environmentally clean source of Can be environmentally clean source of hydrogenhydrogen

• Most abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if Most abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if transportation fuel today was hydrogen, transportation fuel today was hydrogen, potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 billion tonsbillion tons

• Can be environmentally clean source of Can be environmentally clean source of hydrogenhydrogen

Climate ChangeClimate Change

Carbon Management PathsCarbon Management Paths

Switch to low- & no-carbon fuels Switch to low- & no-carbon fuels

Increase energy efficiency Increase energy efficiency

Sequester carbon Sequester carbon

Renewables, Nuclear, Natural GasRenewables, Nuclear, Natural Gas

Demand-Side & Supply SideDemand-Side & Supply Side

• May be only option that removes enough carbon to stabilize CO2 concentrations in atmosphere

• Only approach that doesn’t require countries to overhaul energy infrastructures

• May prove to be lowest cost carbon management option

• May be only option that removes enough carbon to stabilize CO2 concentrations in atmosphere

• Only approach that doesn’t require countries to overhaul energy infrastructures

• May prove to be lowest cost carbon management option

The FutureGen plant will be a first-of-its-kind project by the U.S. electric power industry to prove that large-scale sequestration is safe and practicable.

The FutureGen plant will be a first-of-its-kind project by the U.S. electric power industry to prove that large-scale sequestration is safe and practicable.

Why is sequestration important?Why is sequestration important?

More info

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• It entered into force on March 21, 1994. Its stated objective is "to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a low enough level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."

• A national greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals