Toward zero emissions from coal in China

China depends for most of its energy on coal – a situation that is likely to persist in the light of the abundance of its coal resources, the paucity of its oil and gas resources, and the reluctance of the government to allow China to become overly dependent on energy imports. The challenge is to find ways to use coal without the enormous air pollution damage caused by current conversion technologies and with greatly reduced carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. A coal energy system for China is proposed that could ultimately be characterized by near-zero emissions of both air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The key enabling technology is oxygen-blown (O 2 –blown) gasification to generate synthesis gas from coal. This technology is used in commercially ready integrated gasification combined-cycle power plants that can provide electricity with air pollutant emissions as low as emission levels for natural gas combined-cycle plants. O 2 -blown gasification is not yet used in China's energy sector, although the technology is well-established in China's chemical process industry. The key enabling strategy, which would often lead to attractive energy costs without further technological advances, is “polygeneration” – the co-production from synthesis gas of at least electricity and one or more clean synthetic fuels (e.g., dimethyl ether (DME), Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids, hydrogen (H 2 )) and often also chemicals, town gas, and/or industrial process heat. The products of polygeneration could be used in the near term to serve a wide range of energy needs with extremely low levels of air pollutant emissions. In such polygeneration configurations CO 2 can often be produced in relatively pure streams as a co-product as a result of processing to increase the synthetic fuel's hydrogen-to-carbon ratio. In the near term this CO 2 might be used profitably for enhanced oil recovery or enhanced recovery of methane from deep beds of unminable coal where resource recovery opportunities exist. For the longer term the potential exists for evolving the coal energy system to the co-production primarily of electricity and H 2 for serving urban areas, with most of the carbon in the coal ending up as CO 2 that is sequestered in geological reservoirs such as in depleted oil and natural gas fields and deep saline aquifers at low incremental cost – even where there are no opportunities for using the CO 2 for enhanced resource recovery. The H 2 so produced would be used for fueling zero-polluting fuel-cell vehicles, for distributed cogeneration (combined heat and power) applications in stationary fuel cells, and for cooking and heating applications as well. A third clean carbon-based synthetic fuel might also be needed for serving rural markets that would be difficult to serve with H 2 , unless there are breakthroughs in H 2 storage technology. DME is a strong candidate for becoming the “third” clean energy carrier for China. Evolving a coal-based energy system that would be characterized ultimately by near-zero emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases would probably involve shifting the center of gravity for central-station power generation to the chemical process industries that would ultimately be co-producing as their major products electricity, H 2 , and (perhaps) DME. Ongoing structural reforms in the electric power sector that encourage greater competition in power generation would facilitate the realization of this vision for coal.

[1]  C. Byrer,et al.  Coal deposits: potential geological sink for sequestering carbon dioxide emissions from power plants , 1998 .

[2]  Robert U. Ayres,et al.  Eco-restructuring : implications for sustainable development , 1998 .

[3]  Todd M. Johnson,et al.  Clear water, blue skies : China's environment in the new century , 1997 .

[4]  Kaoru Fujimoto,et al.  Effective utilization of remote coal through dimethyl ether synthesis , 2000 .

[5]  Olav Kaarstad Emission-free fossil energy from Norway , 1992 .

[6]  Emil D. Attanasi,et al.  [15]5 World Petroleum Assessment and Analysis , 1994 .

[7]  M. J. van der Burgt,et al.  Carbon dioxide disposal from coal-based IGCC's in depleted gas fields , 1992 .

[8]  J. T. Ringland,et al.  Safety issues for hydrogen-powered vehicles , 1994 .

[9]  Judith Gurney BP Statistical Review of World Energy , 1985 .

[10]  W. D. Gunter,et al.  Monitoring of aquifer disposal of CO2 , 1999 .

[11]  Eric D. Larson,et al.  Methanol and hydrogen from biomass for transportation , 1995 .

[12]  R. Williams,et al.  Hydrogen production from natural gas, sequestration of recovered CO2 in depleted gas wells and enhanced natural gas recovery , 1997 .

[13]  Robert H. Williams,et al.  Beyond Combustion: Fuel Cell Cars for the 21st Century , 1998 .

[14]  Hidetoshi Mitsui,et al.  Coalbed Methane Development in China , 1999 .

[15]  Stefan Bachu,et al.  Storage capacity of CO2 in geological media in sedimentary basins with application to the Alberta basin , 1999 .

[16]  Raj Puri,et al.  Use of DME as a Gas Turbine Fuel , 2001 .

[17]  J. Goldemberg World energy assessment : energy and the challenge of sustainability , 2000 .

[18]  W. Gunter,et al.  Deep coalbed methane in Alberta, Canada: A fuel resource with the potential of zero greenhouse gas emissions , 1997 .

[19]  D. D. Rice,et al.  Coalbed gas - an undeveloped resource , 1993 .

[20]  Stefano Campanari Full Load and Part-Load Performance Prediction for Integrated SOFC and Microturbine Systems , 1999 .

[21]  R. H. Williams Industrial cogeneration. [Review] , 1978 .

[22]  M. E. Starr,et al.  Diesel Exhaust Emissions Using Sasol Slurry Phase Distillate Process Fuels , 1997 .

[23]  Paul Craig The Capstone Turbogenerator as an Alternative Power Source , 1997 .

[24]  A. Maghrebi Rural energy in developing countries = L'energie rurale dans les pays en developpement , 1995 .

[25]  Vincent Del Toro,et al.  Electric Power Systems , 1991 .

[26]  D. Dockery,et al.  Particulate air pollution as a predictor of mortality in a prospective study of U.S. adults. , 1995, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.

[27]  P.J.A. Tijm,et al.  Kinetic understanding of the chemical synergy under LPDMETM conditions—once-through applications , 1999 .

[28]  Nebojsa Nakicenovic,et al.  Energy supply mitigation options , 1996 .

[29]  Sam Holloway,et al.  Safety of the underground disposal of carbon dioxide , 1997 .

[30]  James J. Eberhardt,et al.  Emissions from Trucks using Fischer-Tropsch Diesel Fuel , 1998 .

[31]  Stefan Bachu AAPG Studies in Geology 47: Geological Perspectives of Global Climate Change, Chapter 15 - Geological Sequestration of Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide: Applicability and Current Issues , 2001 .

[32]  Martin J. Blunt,et al.  Carbon dioxide in enhanced oil recovery , 1993 .

[33]  D. K. Murray Coalbed methane in the USA: analogues for worldwide development , 1996, Geological Society, London, Special Publications.

[34]  Joan M. Ogden,et al.  Toward a Hydrogen-Based Transportation System , 2001 .

[35]  E. C. Owens,et al.  Emissions comparison of alternative fuels in an advanced automotive diesel engine. Interim report, October 1997--April 1998 , 1998 .

[36]  Emil D. Attanasi,et al.  Probabilistic Assessment of World Petroleum Resources and Reserves at Fourteenth World Petroleum Congress * , 1995 .

[37]  I. R. Summerfield,et al.  Costs of CO2 disposal options , 1993 .

[38]  Finn Joensen,et al.  Large Scale Manufacture of Dimethyl Ether - a New Alternative Diesel Fuel from Natural Gas , 1995 .

[39]  Stefan Bachu,et al.  Aquifer disposal of CO2: Hydrodynamic and mineral trapping , 1994 .

[40]  William D. Gunter,et al.  Sedimentary basins and greenhouse gases: a serendipitous association , 1999 .

[41]  Ari Rabl,et al.  PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ENERGY SYSTEM , 2000 .

[42]  Robert H. Williams TOWARD ZERO EMISSIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION USING FOSSIL FUELS , 2003 .

[43]  R. H. Williams Hydrogen production from coal and coal bed methane, using byproduct CO2 for enhanced methane recovery and sequenstering the CO2 in the coal bed , 1999 .

[44]  F. Warren McFarlan,et al.  Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: Project ICON (D) , 1994 .

[45]  William D. Gunter,et al.  Aquifer disposal of CO2-rich gases: Reaction design for added capacity , 1993 .

[46]  Gerald N. Choi,et al.  Design / Economics of a Once-Through Natural Gas Fischer-Tropsch Plant With Power Co-Production , 1997 .

[47]  K. Edwards,et al.  CO in Alberta-A Vision of the Future , 2000 .

[48]  R. D. Achord,et al.  Long-term leaching tests with coal gasification slag: Final report , 1989 .

[49]  H. L. Longworth,et al.  Underground Disposal of Acid Gas in Alberta, Canada: Regulatory Concerns and Case Histories , 1996 .

[50]  Stefano Campanari,et al.  Full Load and Part-Load Performance Prediction for Integrated SOFC and Microturbine Systems , 1999 .

[51]  Michael B. McElroy,et al.  Energizing China: Reconciling Environmental Protection and Economic Growth , 1998 .

[52]  John D. Spengler,et al.  Particles in our air : concentrations and health effects , 1996 .

[53]  Vello Kuuskraa,et al.  CO2 sequestration in deep coal seams , 1999 .

[54]  Joan M. Ogden,et al.  A comparison of hydrogen, methanol and gasoline as fuels for fuel cell vehicles: implications for vehicle design and infrastructure development , 1999 .

[55]  Joan M. Ogden,et al.  Fuels for Fuel Cell Vehicles: Vehicle Design and Infrastructure Issues , 1998 .

[56]  R. Moss,et al.  Climate change 1995 - impacts, adaptations and mitigation of climate change : scientific-technical analyses , 1997 .

[57]  Stefano Consonni,et al.  Shift Reactors and Physical Absorption for Low-CO2 Emission IGCCs , 1998 .

[58]  Thomas Heck,et al.  Environmental damage costs from fossil electricity generation in Germany and Europe , 1999 .

[59]  Joan M. Ogden,et al.  Solar Hydrogen: Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels , 1989 .

[60]  E Wichert,et al.  Acid gas injection eliminates sulfur recovery expense , 1997 .

[61]  Chris Hendriks,et al.  Carbon Dioxide Removal from Coal-Fired Power Plants , 1994 .

[62]  R F Sawyer,et al.  Achieving Acceptable Air Quality: Some Reflections on Controlling Vehicle Emissions , 1993, Science.