Natural Gas Alternatives from Waste Coal
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and many inventions have resulted out of necessity. As the fuel crisis has become more expensive and more frustrating that is what has happened.
There has been extensive research into coal as an alternative to various fuel sources. Coal can be treated in various ways, including liquefaction, to create different types of fuel.
Recently, there have been developments involving waste coal that will factor into the fuel crisis and the search for alternative sources of fuel, especially in an effort to replace natural gas.
To determine the feasibility of creating an alternative fuel from waste coal, two companies have joined forces to research the possibilities. One company, Synthesis Energy Systems, builds gasification plants and the other, is the largest producer of coal in the United States.
Together they will use coal that would otherwise end up in landfills to produce methanol, ethanol, mixed alcohol, ammonia and SNG. The gasification process used, called “U-Gas” would create fuel alternatives and alternatives to higher priced natural gas without creating emissions and pollution that other processes create.
The U-Gas system is normally used to create synthesis gas, also called syngas. Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and has half the density of natural gas. Since it is made with waste coal an has little or no emissions, it creates a win-win situation for the environment.
The processes being used for this venture have been under development for nearly thirty years, however, the benefit will be that instead of ending up in landfills, 20 million tons of waste coal might now be able to be turned into usable, affordable fuel, helping the economy, the environment and the fuel crisis all at the same time.