January 19, 2007
Energy Business Reports
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Commercialization of Coal-to-Liquids Technology
New report shows how coal liquefaction offers environmental benefits, cost savings, and energy security.
Phoenix, AZ – January 20, 2007 – Energy Business Reports publishes a new report on "Commercialization of Coal-to-Liquids Technology" examining how the use of coal liquification technologies may help America wean itself of foreign oil imports. CTL fuel is already in use elsewhere, like South Africa, where it meets 30 percent of transportation fuel needs.
Through liquefaction or coal-to-liquids technology (CTL), a process of converting solid coal into liquid fuels and/or chemicals, coal can be made into liquid fuel such as gasoline or diesel and used as a substitute for petroleum products. Coal-based fuels can be used directly in today’s vehicles, with no need for modification.
Road trials of coal-based fuels have shown that significant local air quality improvements can be achieved through the reduction of tailpipe emissions. Some studies suggest particulate emissions can be up to 75% less than with traditional diesel, and oxides of nitrogen can be reduced by up to 60%. The optimization of new engines for these fuels will offer even greater reductions, particularly of nitrogen oxides. New engine design, such as direct injection, will offer yet greater efficiencies.
Coal liquefaction is a well-developed technology, and given the large coal reserves in the U.S., coal-based fuels could rapidly replace other sources of transportation fuel to meet Future needs.
While coal itself is a low efficiency fuel and a notorious polluter, advanced gasification technologies can convert over 95 percent of coal fuel into a combustible gas, commonly called syngas. Syngas consists mainly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen and can be used like natural gas to efficiently generate electricity through an integrated gas turbine/steam turbine combined cycle. Syngas is also a basic feedstock for manufacturing a range of chemicals and synthetic fuels, such as hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, dimethyl ether, and Fischer-Tropsch gasoline and diesel, which can substitute for oil.
The positive impacts of coal-based fuel include long-term environmental advantages ranging from the reclamation of decades-old coal waste piles and the mining of secondary coal sources, to possible ways to reduce hazardous emissions in coal combustion.
Emissions from coal-fired power plants represent the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, a primary cause of global warming. However, the process of coal liquefaction is a clean and efficient one, and there are no harmful gases released into the atmosphere, thus helping the climate. While the coal to liquids process is more CO2 intensive than conventional oil refining, there are options for preventing or mitigating emissions. Due to the broad global distribution of coal reserves, emissions may be avoided through shorter fuel transport distances. For coal to liquids plants, carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be a low cost method of addressing CO2 concerns and may result in greenhouse gas emissions being some 20% lower over the full lifecycle than fuels derived from crude oil.
Coal liquefaction increases energy efficiency by diversifying the power systems of a country and giving rise to more renewable sources for energy, thus decreasing a country’s dependency on large power plants and reliance on a vulnerable infrastructure in case of natural disasters or terrorist acts.
Tightening oil markets and record high prices have brought U.S. oil vulnerability back into focus, and hurricane Katrina demonstrated how quickly oil supply disruptions could impact the country. Coal liquefaction has emerged as the perfect solution as it would reduce the dependence on energy imports and also cuts down the reliance of countries on oil, thus reducing vulnerabilities in national security. With approximately 20% of global coal reserves, the U.S. has more than a 250-year supply at current consumption levels and more coal then any other country in the world.
This report on coal-to-liquids technology looks in detail at the various technologies and methodologies for liquefying coal, the economics of CTL development, key players in the global market, the advantages and disadvantages of liquid coal, and the market outlook for CTL as a fuel source. The report also details 14 real-life projects and profiles major industry players.
About the Publisher: "Commercialization of Coal-to-Liquids Technology" is published by Energy Business Reports (www.EnergyBusinessReports.com), an energy industry think tank and leading source for energy industry information and research products. Other reports available from EBR include: Business Process Outsourcing for Utilities, Bitumen Recovery and Technology, The Market for Cellulose Ethanol, The Potential of Oil Sands as an Energy Source, Weather Risk Management, Natural Gas Storage Effects on Energy Trading, Fuel Cell Technology, The Outlook for Unconventional Gas, Securing Energy Assets and Infrastructure, The Market for Solar Photovoltaics, and Understanding the China Energy Market. This report can be purchased at www.EnergyBusinessReports.com
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