Jumat, 23 Maret 2012

Coal-to-Liquids and Lignite-to-Liquids - An Environmentally-Sound Remedy for the Peak Oil Crisis

Coal-to-Liquids and Lignite-to-Liquids - An Environmentally-Sound Remedy for the Peak Oil Crisis/P>

Regrettably, several eye-catching and extensively-touted alternate gas methods -- this sort of as a risk-free and practical hydrogen-based mostly transport gasoline technique -- will continue to be a dream until eventually the distant long term.

For this explanation, lots of countries have been re-examining other transport gas technological innovation, this kind of as the Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) technological innovation, as a close to long term supply of transport fuels.

Coal-to-Liquids -- that is, the conversion of coal to liquid transport fuels -- is in reality not new a technological innovation and has been practiced for several decades in nations this kind of as South Africa and Germany and will quickly be adopted in China.

The most viable Coal-to-Liquids process needs the conversion of coal into a synthesis gasoline consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide and then its synthesis into prolonged-chain liquid gasoline molecules. People processes generate excess heat that can be utilised to create electrical energy. The synthetic petroleum items, and in particular synthetic diesel, have many one of a kind environmental strengths. Individuals benefits involve the reduction of particulates, nitrogen oxides and fugitive aromatic hydrocarbon emissions of people linked with 'natural crude'.

Despite the fact that the technologies of CTL is very well understood, technological problems pertaining to its application to exact coal and lignite (brown coal) sources exist. Lignite is in most cases a large moisture gas with moisture contents of up to 65%, for illustration the Victorian lignites have all around 60% moisture. Lignites also can have higher mineral matter (ash) content and have large sulphur contents, say to 5%.

The economics of Coal-to-Liquids are that a crude oil cost of in between $US40 - $US50 per barrel is needed to offer circumstances exactly where the program is viable. This infers that coal must be supplied at a comparatively reduced price tag; that favorable logistics this kind of as transport, access to refineries and very good proximity to markets exist; and that there is a economic and political will to invest in plant that will have more than a thirty year creation lifestyle. Sector wisdom is suggesting that the scale of prosperous Coal-to-Liquids plants will be a minimal creation of 50,000 barrels per day of synthetic crude plus 400 MWe of electrical power on the market for export.

The introduction of CTL into the producing nations of Asia that have appropriate coal and/or lignite reserves can make fantastic sense.

The replacement of old fashioned crude oil with CTL crude has beneficial economic, environmental and safety facets for individuals nations. The co-generation of electrical power will also be constructive, as will the co-creation of by-solutions of sulphur, waxes and LPG (liquid petroleum fuel).

The creation of CTL also has powerful safety facets, given that indigenous liquid gas is in most cases much less vulnerable to disruption by terrorist action or worldwide political disputes.

All around the Writer:

Dr. Michael C. Clarke is the founder of M.E.T.T.S. Pty. Ltd. - Consulting Engineers, of New Farm, Queensland, Australia. Dr. Clarke has qualifications and encounter in mining, chemical and environmental technological innovation. In 2007 Dr. Clarke finished a consultancy for the Asian Improvement Financial institution that looked at the Growth of the Thar and Badin lignites.

M.E.T.T.S. is at present operating on the design and style of an integrated mining, beneficiation and Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) utilization process that will maximize the creation of liquid gas and the co-generation of electrical power.

In co-procedure with an Australian coal beneficiation technologies corporation and a mining engineering agency that respectively have progressive coal drying and complementary mining technology under Growth, M.E.T.T.S. is hunting for lignite and coal deposits that match the feed specifications for an integrated program.

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