Coal goes clean.Byline: Infrastructure Today Cover Story Coal Clean Coal goes clean Clean-coal technology has generated a lot of interest in India and China. The Asian giants, India and China are riding the frontal wave in clean-coal technology that has the potential to tap enormous and otherwise unattainable coal reserves while also slowing the pace of climate change. Both the countries are considering comprehensive commercial projects which would enable the production of energy by burning the coal where it lies, deep below the earth's surface Noun 1. Earth's surface - the outermost level of the land or sea; "earthquakes originate far below the surface"; "three quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water" surface . The prospect of capturing and permanently storing the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. which cause global warming global warming, the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. are also alluring to the two Asian nations. A technique known as underground coal gasification Underground Coal Gasification (“UCG”) is a gasification process carried on in non-mined coal seams using injection and production wells drilled from the surface, which enables the coal to be converted into product gas. - hitherto impossible or cost a lot to bring to the surface - is the preferred method to tap energy from coal. This technology is more aptly suited for low-rank coals such as lignites and sub-bituminous coal Sub-bituminous coal is a coal whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and are used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation. because they produce less heat due to their high ash content and are highly polluting. China has made around 17 trials of the process which is more than any other country's efforts over the past 10 years. A Chinese-built chemical plant in Inner Mongolia now uses the process to produce a diesel-fuel substitute and there are plans to build another much larger sister plant. Currently it has plans for around 30 underground coal gasification projects the groundwork for them are underway already. A 93-page status report was prepared in 2007 highlighting plans from many of the country's biggest companies like ONGC ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Commission (India) , Reliance Industries Ltd. and GAIL GAIL Gas Authority of India Limited (Indian government) GAIL Glide Angle Indicator Light India Ltd regarding underground coal gasification is a sure shot evidence of the fact that India is not far behind from China. The report states that GAIL has plans to begin operations in three commercial UCG-powered plants by 2015. These underground gasification gas·i·fy tr. & intr.v. gas·i·fied, gas·i·fy·ing, gas·i·fies To convert into or become gas. gas projects are expected to be used for the generation of more power and production of pesticides and chemicals. But even as these plans are being considered, several concerns linger. Experts are sceptical about the adoption of this method on a large scale. There's an apprehension that it will pollute underground water supplies, or be the source for serious incidents of subsidence like land sinking into the cavities created when the coal seams are drilled and burned out. These risks are making the firms cautious as well and many Indian companies are of the view that governments should offer certain incentives before the firms get involved. Copyright (name). All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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