Many of us, especially we solar enthusiasts, see “Clean Coal” as a rather oxymoronic phrase. Anyone who has held a piece of coal or seen a billowing smokestack can see that, right? I was interested to find out so I did some coal mining of my own. It turns out that the idea is rather simple, although the actualization of that idea is a different story.Essentially, “Clean Coal” is just a PR term used by proponents of coal-fired electric plants; most notably, George W. Bush and John McCain. What it signifies is an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of coal-fired facilities, one of the leading causes of global warming and carbon dioxide emissions. There are a few ways that cleaning coal is accomplished. One is gasification, which treats gases released from factory flues with steam to remove sulfur dioxide. Another is to chemically wash minerals and impurities from the coal during production.Perhaps the heart of the problem with coal technology is carbon dioxide emissions. Conversely, the heart of the clean coal solution is Carbon Capturing and Storage (CCS). There are a few approaches to this as well:

1. Pump CO₂ into disused coal fields. This displaces methane, which in turn, can be used as a fuel.
2. Pump CO₂ into saline aquifers where it can be safely stored.
3. CO₂ could be pumped into oil fields because it helps maintain pressure and makes the extraction of oil easier.

These and other processes for removing carbon dioxide and other pollutants from coal have been proven technically feasible, but it will likely be 15 to 20 years before they are available on a large, commercial scale. Economic feasibility is still a big question which many opponents focus on, in turn promoting renewable resources as a quicker, more viable alternative.Get both sides:Australian Coal AssociationGreen Peace

Posted on September 18th in Solar News by Dan.