Can coal gasification produced syngas be cleaned for use - Absolutely

When science uses the term energy, much can be construed from the word. It’s kinda like a tree. The trunk is the term and the branches are all the nuances that stem from the trunk. For example the main branches are:

1. Coal.
2. Natural gas is another.
3. Petroleum another.
4. And Nuclear.
5. Oh yes, Hydroelectrics.

1. clean energy.
2. alternative energy.
3. renewable energy.
4. abundant energy, etc, etc.

Take for instance, the sun. It provides an inexhaustible supply of energy, and the earth’s flora is its best collector, converting the suns energy by photosynthesis. This process begins the chemical reaction that takes place during (carbonaceous material) coal gasification and other like processes.

Photosynthesis accounts for approximately 100 terawatts (TW) of captured solar energy. Do you think coal may have assumed some of that energy over the millennia and do you think we might find a way to use some of that energy? Again the answer is yes.

Energy captured by a plant is stored in each cell. Photosynthesis reorders carbon dioxide’s molecular structure converting the carbon into sugar. Interestingly, the free oxygen we breathe is actually considered waste, cast off by the plant. And guess what, as long as the sun shines, the plant keeps growing. This same material dumped into a deep hole-in-the-ground, and then covered up; with enough time, pressure, and heat, coal is formed.

Gee, does this mean carbon dioxide is useful? And I thought green house gas was solar evaporation, water sucked up by the sun. Hummm, how can we fix that?

Anyway, the term "coal" describes a wide variety of fossilized plant materials, because earth’s flora represents millions of different species; consequently, no two coal types are exactly alike. But this isn’t about plants, trees, or even coal species, it’s about coal gasification. A similar process is Wood gasification, that occurs when charcoal is made. So naturally, gasifying coal is an alternative energy source too. The question is whether it can be cleaned up enough to be useful as a clean burning fuel. So of course, the answer is yes.

Okay, back to coal gasification. Basically the process is a method for extracting energy from a variety of different organic materials. Obviously, the advantage of using syngas is much more efficient than the direct combustion of the original material. For example, it would be a very knotty (no pun intended) problem to fuel an internal combustion engine with scrap 2x4’s.

The biggest challenge faced by waste gasification technologies has been to reach an acceptable (positive) gross electric efficiency. In other words, reducing the amount of power required to convert to syngas, and reducing the large amounts of costly pure oxygen used as a cleaning agent for the gasification process.

Early programs focused on environmental challenges of the time: acid rain and the effects of microscopic particles on people with respiratory problems. However a new generation of clean coal technologies has emerged that resolve such issues in coal gasification.

Coal gasification ‘aka’ clean coal technology has proven to be much more efficient than incineration. Burning raw coal produces fare less electrical power per carbon dioxide released hence greater cost per Kw hour. Whereas gasifying coal allows coal a higher order of thermodynamic conversion with far less carbon dioxide released.

Along with other forms of usable feedstock’s, gasifying coal offers one of the cleanest, most versatile ways to convert the energy content of this material into electricity and hydrogen. I believe, in the not to distant future, abundantly available coal will establish itself as a source of low cost electrical power resource alternatives pool. Gasification is sister to coal liquefaction, it too holds great promise only as a liquid energy resource.

It’s sad that the global warming/climate change scare mongers have put a damper on this technology. They complain and offer unreasonable alternatives: plant more trees or stop using fossil fuel altogether, but offer no real solutions.

Moreover, coal gasification, may be one of the most efficient ways to produce large quantities hydrogen and other coal gases for electrical power generating turbines. Furthermore, coal gas can be used as a chemical build block for a wide range of commercial products. All in all, coal is here to stay – sorry greeners.

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