Why Coal?

In this day and age, America’s dependence on foreign energy supplies has influenced economic security. By obtaining secure energy supplies, such as abundant western coal reserves, the nation can decrease its dependency on foreign energy supplies and utilize coal as a potentially significant and environmentally safe source of transportation fuel for a growing economy.

Coal is an economic, plentiful and environmentally sound fuel source. As the most abundant fossil fuel produced in the United States, coal contributes to generating 56 percent of the nation’s electricity. This inexpensive electricity generated by coal results in lower operating costs for businesses and homeowners, thus helping to boost the economy and increase coal's competitiveness in the marketplace.

Coal – An Environmentally Sound Fuel

As energy demand grows, clean coal will be an important part of the nations’ clean, abundant and affordable resources. Clean Coal Technologies have resulted in more than 20 new, lower-cost, more efficient and environmentally compatible technologies for electric utilities, steel mills, cement plants and other industries. Coal will remain the largest single source of electricity—accounting for more than half of the nation’s power generation in 2025. Clean coal technologies will help meet these needs, plus continue the decline in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions already underway.

Clean Coal Technology

The original Clean Coal Technology Program, which began in 1986, focused on commercializing processes that helped reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions and demonstrating more efficient and environmentally friendly. New programs in clean coal technology are essential for finding solutions for reducing trace emissions of mercury; reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions; and increasing fuel efficiencies. Over the longer term, research in clean coal technology will be directed toward developing coal-based hydrogen fuels. If coupled with sequestration, this will allow greater use of coal with zero emissions. The United States Department of Energy has announced a Presidential initiative to build "FutureGen," a $1 billion project that will lead to the world's first emission-free plant to produce electricity and hydrogen from coal while capturing greenhouse gases.

Coal Washing Facility

In order to reduce ash sulfur emissions and increase the heating value of coal making it more economical for transportation, coal is sent through coal washing facilities to separate coal from soil and rock. This higher heating value increases the market value of the coal per ton while making it more attractive for power generators. Clean coal reduces the burden of retrofitting post combustions control equipment, thus increasing the life of power generating assets.

Coal – An Economic and Clean Energy Solution

The crude oil and natural gas the United States imports accounts for a significant share of America's rising energy and defense expenditures. Instead of importing energy, the United States has the opportunity to take control of the nation’s future by tapping into its’ abundant coal reserves. By furthering coal to liquid technology research, the United States can reduce energy imports and rely on coal to provide affordable energy and fuels for transportation.

Coal Gasification

Coal gasification offers one of the most versatile and clean ways to convert coal into electricity, hydrogen, and other valuable energy products. Rather than burning coal directly, gasification (a thermo-chemical process) breaks down coal - or virtually any carbon-based feedstock - into its basic chemical constituents. The environmental benefits of gasification stem from the capability to achieve extremely low sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions from burning coal-derived gases. It may be one of the best ways to produce clean-burning hydrogen for tomorrow's automobiles and power-generating fuel cells.

Coal to Diesel

Technically, coal to diesel is accomplished by a catalyst that removes hydrogen from the molecules. The beauty of the new process is that it is highly selective in which hydrogen atoms it removes from the hydrocarbons, channeling the reactions to produce specific, useful products. The diesel formed by the new catalysts does not include aromatics, so it burns much cleaner, overcoming one of the major objections to diesel fuel. This could lead to more vehicles using diesel engines, which are about 30 percent more efficient than gasoline engines.

Coal By-Products

Coal by-products will play a major role in a coal-fired power plant economics and are slowly picking up demand. Major coal by-products include fly ash, sludge and slag which can be used for strengthening for construction materials, providing nutrients to plants to enhance depleted soils for agricultural purposes and for reducing greenhouse gas. By using fly ash for cement production industrial companies can avoid the process of heating a fossil fuel to provide extreme heat, thus preventing carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. The combination of clean coal and coal byproducts can alter the plant economics by wide margin if used wisely.

Coal – Fuel for the Future

With the United States coal deposits containing more energy than that of all the world's oil reserves, this economic fuel source will likely continue to be an important source of electricity generation as oil and natural gas prices continue to rise. Currently, coal has the lowest energy costs per million British thermal units (BTUs), while crude oil and natural gas cost four times the amount. Coal products also hold great potential and may soon be contributing to communications and transportation system advancement, computer networks and even space expeditions.

As the nation continues to integrate new ways to utilize coal powered energy and coal products, research and technology will continue to enhance our ability to identify untapped coal reserves and improve the effects of the production and use of coal on the environment.