Gasification technologies: the path to clean, affordable energy in the 21st century

The gasification of carbon-based solid and liquid materials has been around for nearly two hundred years and was used extensively for the production of town gas in the latter part of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although this application has all but vanished, other applications have evolved, thus continuing gasification's important role as a commercial technology. Numerous advancements have been made since its introduction, leading to a more cost-competitive, thermally efficient, and environmentally friendly technology. However, as deregulation of the power industry continues and as increased environmental pressures are placed on industry, opportunities for further technological advances and expanded applications to meet these challenges will be created. In addition, these changes will likely restructure the technology and ownership objectives, placing premiums on efficiency, environmental acceptability, and the ability to utilize multiple feedstocks and produce multiple products. In the twentieth century, gasification will be the heart of a new generation of energy plants, possessing both feedstock and product flexibility, near-zero emission of pollutants, high thermal efficiency and capture of carbon dioxide, and low feedstock and operating and maintenance (O&M) costs.