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The burning of coal, a to another. The Australian of The Year, renowned scientist and author Tim Flannery made the assertion that "Coal can't be clean" Herald Sun, Melbourne Australia February 14, 2007 04:30pm. There are no coal-fired power stations in commercial production which capture all carbon dioxide emissions, so the process is theoretical and experimental and thus a subject of feasibility or pilot studies. It is has been estimated that it will be 2020 to 2025 before any commercial-scale clean coal power stations (coal-burning power stations with carbon capture and sequestration) are commercially viable and widely adopted.David Brockway, Chief of the Energy Technology Division, to protect the world economy according to the Stern Report . Even when CO2 emissions can be caught, there is considerable debate over the necessary Carbon Capture And Storage that must follow. BYPRODUCTS The byproducts of clean coal are very hazardous to the environment if not properly contained. This is seen to be the technology's largest challenge, both from the practical and public relations perspectives. While it is possible to remove most of the sulfur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Oxide s (NOx) and Particulate (PM) emissions from the coal-burning process, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and radionuclides ORNL.gov - Coal Combustion: Nuclear Resource or Danger? will be more difficult to address. Technologies do exist to capture and store CO2, but they have not been made available on a large-scale commercial basis due to the high economic costs BBC.co.uk - Clean coal technology: How it works. For this reason Renewable Energy sources or Nuclear Power may be a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative. POTENTIAL USES OF CLEAN COAL Examples of clean coal usage include the proposed US FutureGen plant — planned to be a near zero-emissions coal-fired Power Plant , but is still years away from commercial operation (expected 2012) and whose commercial viability is unknown. It is also believed that some process similar to the Natural Gas Fuel Cell or Microbial Fuel Cell (charged from Biomass or Sewage ) may be practical using coal as fuel. These technologies are used mostly for Stationary Fuel Cell s as charging is slow. A large power plant in a Coal Mine might be the most energy-efficient approach and require the least transport of coal to the users. The return of the coal chute and its use in homes may be possible in some places, especially if home sewage or natural gas lines can be tapped as well by an improved Fuel Reformer technology such as that already used to convert Methanol or Gasoline to the natural gas form. POTENTIAL COST OF CLEAN COAL In Carbon Capture And Storage under "Cost of CCS" lifetime costs for natural gas, pulverized coal and IGCC with and without carbon capture are detailed. |
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