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Coal gasification: unlocking the potential of low-quality coal
For countries with large, even low-quality, coal reserves, gasification technology can enhance energy security while reducing energy costs, writes Harriet Crawley*
THE COAL-gasification sector is set to bounce back following a slow-down in 2009 – except in China, which saw a steady acceleration in development led by GE, Shell, Siemens and SES. There are around 70 operational coal-gasification plants in the world, including 30 in China and three in the US, but none in Russia or the Ukraine, which together have 21% of the world's coal reserves, most of it brown coal and lignite, not worth mining and transporting (see Figure 1). This "near-worthless resource" is ideal for gasification, says Alexander Gordienko, director of strategic development for coke and chemicals production at Ukraine's Donetsk steel plant. "Ukrainian coal is high in sulphur and ash, and the only way to profit from it is to gasify it."  Ukraine would benefit from the technology's widespread use politically as ...Click here to continue reading Coal gasification: unlocking the potential of low-quality coal
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