Lecture 12 Chapter 7 Conclusion Coal Conversion

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 Fischer-Tropsch 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 CH 4, CO, H 2, CO 2, H 2 S, NH 3, H 2 O Carbon monoxide and water turned into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ) CO 2 and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) are removed Carbon monoxide and hydrogen react to form synthetic natural gas CO + 3H 2 → CH 4 + H 2 O Heating value is Btu/ft 3 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 ft 3April 2009: 1,735 billions ft 3 – 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 CO 2 emissions by year 2030 –Technique actively pursued is injection into unmineable coal seams –Use CO 2 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, Hydrogen and Energy Research Initiative FutureGen Global Climate Change Initiative Hydrogen Fuel Initiative Clear Skies Initiative

Tomorrow’s Hydrogen 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 diversified sourcesFuture “Hydrogen Economy” must have more diversified sources Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come from renewables, nuclear power, fusion, etc.Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come 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 diversified sourcesFuture “Hydrogen Economy” must have more diversified sources Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come from renewables, nuclear power, fusion, etc.Over longer term, hydrogen will likely come from renewables, nuclear power, fusion, etc. But coal can also be a major feedstock Most abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if transportation fuel today was hydrogen, potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 billion tonsMost abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if transportation fuel today was hydrogen, potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 billion tons Can be environmentally clean source of hydrogenCan be environmentally clean source of hydrogen Most abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if transportation fuel today was hydrogen, potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 billion tonsMost abundant U.S. fossil fuel (250-yr supply); if transportation fuel today was hydrogen, potential for additional 1.3 billion tons coal per year; by 2025 that addition could grow to 2.4 billion tons Can be environmentally clean source of hydrogenCan be environmentally clean source of hydrogen

Climate Change Carbon Management Paths  Switch to low- & no-carbon fuels  Increase energy efficiency  Sequester carbon Renewables, Nuclear, Natural Gas Demand-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. Why is sequestration important? More info

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change It entered into force on March 21, 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."March anthropogenic A national greenhouse gas inventory is an accounting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removalsgreenhouse gas inventorygreenhouse gas