Great article from MIT’s Technology Review that expounds on China’s energy future that is heavily dependent on their coal reserves. China owns 13% of the worlds known coal reserves. To feed its energy requirement for the future, they are looking at technology to convert their coal to oil via direct liquefaction. Also known as the process invented by Berguis’s which is similar in goal to Fischer-Tropsch but more complicated yet having more fuel yield per ton of coal processed. This in effect could reduce China’s dependence on foreign oil. Their first porcessing plant is expected to be online by 2007.
Currently China is on a massive energization program that builds at least 1 coal fired power plant a week. The use of coal plants without adequate waste gas handling equipment could lead China to be the largest source of carbon emissions in 2009. Coal emissions accounts for 3/4’s of the total of air pollutants for China. China is looking at coal gassification as means of reducing the pollution generated by their coal plants. However it has been noted that China’s energy producers lack the proper incentives (economic and political) to implement this program.
Article here
Category: Coal
