Alternative Fuel Sources - Part Six - Coal To Liquid

by Darren

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Today we look at part six of our Alternative Fuel Sources series and we take a look at an energy source you know of, in an application you might not have thought of. Sure, we’re used to the idea of coal providing electric power, but not everyone knows that coal is also discussed as a legitimate alternative fuel source. Coal has long been a known source of pollution, but “clean coal” and Coal to Liquid technology is making people change their perceptions rapidly.

Coal is an abundant resource, and a huge cause of GHG emissions

Coal has been used by the energy industry for centuries. “Coal is a fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains were preserved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation, thus sequestering atmospheric carbon. Coal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black rock. It is a sedimentary rock, but the harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rocks because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. It is composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen along with small quantities of other elements, notably including sulfur.” Coal is used to produce electrical energy for most of the world. This coal production is estimated to be the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

Add to these dreary facts the news that coal also requires heavy mining, which is a huge detriment to the environment, and you’ll quickly get the idea that coal is just plain evil. However, a whole new class of coal known as clean coal has sprung up, reducing former arguments to ash. “Clean coal is the name attributed to coal chemically washed of minerals and impurities, sometimes gasified, burned and the resulting flue gases treated with steam with the purpose of removing sulfur dioxide, and reburned so as to make the carbon dioxide in the flue gas economically recoverable. The coal industry uses the term “clean coal” to describe technologies designed to enhance both the efficiency and the environmental acceptability of coal extraction, preparation and use, with no specific quantitative limits on any emissions, particularly carbon dioxide.”

The main problem with clean coal is that it doesn’t currently exist in any sufficient mass. So far Clean Coal is more of a marketing campaign than something that will save our environment. In any event, without getting sidetracked too far, clean coal is a debate for another day.

Interest in Coal to Liquid is intensifying as gas prices go through the roof

Today we’re looking at Liquification or Coal to Liquid. Coal to Liquid is what would be used to turn coal into something that could be used by motorists. The interest in Coal to Liquid (CTL technology) has been rising rapidly as gas prices have gone up accordingly. In April of this year, the first ever Conference for Coal to Liquid Technology occurred. And skeptics of the event and of Coal to Liquid technology don’t think CTL can work, at least without a lot of pollution.

The energy required to convert coal to liquid fuel doubles the amount of carbon dioxide released compared to fuels refined from oil. The discussions in Paris — and elsewhere — breezily circumvented the potential climate impact of large-scale fuel production this way by noting that the carbon dioxide could be captured, compressed, and buried. The problem, of course, is that the world has not yet tested whether that technology is feasible at scales beyond about 1 million tons of carbon dioxide a year — a fraction of the amount that would result should the planned projects proceed.

So right now, CTL is in its’ infancy, and a number of experts wonder if it can possibly work. But one thing we know, CTL became an economically feasible technology when Oil hit $100 per barrel. With it way north of that figure, it means the investment dollars will probably pour in this year for the coal industry with big bets being place on CTL. Even big players like the U.S. Air Force are very bullish on the CTL after the world conference, and expect to have many of their planes running on CTL fuel in the next few years.

Coal to Liquid Advantages

1. CTL is derived from coal, which is one natural resource the U.S. has a lot of.
2. CTL could reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil
3. CTL could reduce gas prices
4. CTL made using the Fischer-Tropsch process can be used in unmodified diesel engines or as part of a diesel blend
5. CTL is relatively stable. South Africa meets 30% of its’ commercial fuel needs with CTL

Disadvantages of Coal to Liquid

1. Coal is still not a clean resource, and CTL production emits more CO2 than normal oil refining.
2. CTL is commercially viable when Oil hits $100 per barrel. A sudden drop in oil prices could send investors right out of CTL.
3. CTL will probably still require environmentally damaging mining operations to get at the coal

All in all, CTL is very promising. Since CTL has been used in some countries (like South Africa) for literally decades, confidence can be placed in a CTL deployment on a large scale. Coal is an extremely abundant resource for the United States, so CTL would be of strategic value, reducing the dependence on foreign oil. This strategic advantage is clearly illustrated by the U.S. Air Force’s keen interest in Coal to Liquid fuel. The big advantage of CTL is that it is feasible, and could be done on a huge scale deployment, unlike most of the other alternative fuel sources we’ve looked at. With a big enough investment of capital, there’s enough coal to turn into gas that demand domestically could be met.

When you add in the fact that diesel engines can already support CTL, you can see that a transition to Coal to Liquid derived gas could very well succeed.

Continued from: Alternative Fuel Sources - Part Five - Oil Shale.

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