The only planet known to support life is running out of its resources, and most of the world has quit pretending that its bounty of elements is inexhaustible. Every nation is conducting research to come up with prototypes of fuels, vehicles, and other mass-use objects in an effort to conserve the non-renewable resources and environment. In an effort to be more sustainable, however, it is necessary that the commonly used natural, exhaustible resources are dealt with more judiciously. Breakthroughs like Clean Coal Technologies, then, enter the picture.
What are Clean Coal Technologies?
Coal is a popular choice of fuel across industries as it is economical, the availability is enough for two to three decades, and is easily dispersible. CCTs, as they may be called, are a new generation of coal utilisation processes. Since coal extraction and usage is contributes massively to pollution, Clean Coal Technologies are designed to enhance the efficiency and environmental acceptability of this fuel. It focuses on making the residual matter from coal burning more easily disposable, as CCT residues are dry and do not require heavy processing before being used in road bases and utilised in other ways. CCT is also essential in the power generation industry, the latter being acutely dependant on coal for its processes. Start-ups from all over the world are contributing to this technology in the forms of coal substitutes, ways to mitigate CO2 emissions from coal burning, convert coal residue into something useful and many more.
Innovation in CCT
Carbonauten, a German start-up, in its attempt to drive the decarbonisation industry, has developed a system that reduces emission and costs. The company permanently stores CO2 in products and refines the technical bio-carbons into high-performance, regenerative and low cost Carbonauten NET Materials.
Waterdrape is working towards Water Treatment, Airborne Pollution Control and Indoor Air Quality by using Advanced Oxidation Process. Just how wet scrubbers use water to clean coal plant emissions, this Canadian start-up uses water to absorb particles from air, and uses light to clean the cloudy water. The company harnesses natural properties like pressure, gravity, and sheet flow.
To reduce the usage of the fossil fuel, NextFuel, develops a coal substitute in the form of sustainable briquettes. This is made possible by imitating nature; the process involving conversion of fast-growing crops, like grasses, into a patented clean copy of coal. In addition to biomass raw materials like wood, NextFuel uses elephant grass, bagasse, that is, waste from sugarcane, and have reached a production capacity of 8 tonnes per hour per production line.
Upcycling mining waste into a hydrocarbon, Arq is delivering high performance at a low cost, utilising valuable carbon to its fullest potential, including usage in generating electricity. The technology separates mineral matter and pure micro-fine hydrocarbons from mining waste. It is done through a series of milling and grinding steps. The Arq Powder can be used in blending component in liquid fuels, oils, and industrial manufacturing products like asphalt and carbon black, reducing the environmental impacts of their production and usage.
Being the cheapest fossil fuel, employing coal in various sectors will continue saving valuable financial resources that can be invested in other activities. Keeping in view of the climate and ecosystems across nations, these new power generation and pollution control options will permit the usage of coal while keeping its detrimental effects on environment down.
Also Read As a certification body, we must exercise extreme caution
