An innovative new process that releases the energy in coal without burning while capturing carbon dioxide has passed a milestone on the route to possible commercial use, scientists are reporting. Their study describes results of a successful 200-hour test on a sub-pilot scale version of the technology using subbituminous and lignite coals, which are the main source of carbon dioxide emissions at the U.S. Coal-fired power plants.
This approach involves separating and collecting carbon dioxide before it leaves smokestacks. The process involves syngas or natural gas in a sealed chamber in the absence of the atmospheric oxygen involved in conventional burning. Metal compounds containing oxygen are in the chamber. They provide the oxygen for oxidation, take up coal’s energy, release it as a heat in a second chamber and circulate back for another run in the first chamber. The system operated successfully for 200 hours without an involuntary shutdown and carbon-dioxide captured has a purity of 99.5 percent.
Source: American Chemical Society (2013, March 20). A milestone for new carbon-dioxide capture/clean coal technology. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2013/03/130320095421.htm