Coal transport

This Technology Transfer Advances Viet Nam's

• Nationally Determined Contribution to reduce GHG emissions by 8% compared to Business-as-Usual by 2030, in line with the Government's prioritized policies, such as renewable energy development. 

Context

This Technology Transfer Advances Mauritius'

• Nationally Determined Contribution to decrease its greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, by the year 2030, relative to the business as usual scenario of 7 million metric tonnes CO2equivalent.

Context 

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is implementing a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project entitled “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emission in Industrial Sector through Pelletization Technology in Lao PDR” in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology Lao PDR. The goal of the project is to promote the production and usage of industrial grade solid bio-fuel (pellets) for replacing coal and wood.

Seambiotic is the first in the world with proprietary technology for growing marine microalgae in open ponds using flue gas and recycled seawater from power plant. Seambiotic is also the first in the world to successfully connect directly to a power plant’s smokestack for direct consumption of CO2. The Company currently holds patent applications on the technology. Seambiotic was initially established to produce and sell Omega 3 fatty acid products from marine microalgae.

Coal is a fossil fuel that can be found in abundance on the earth. Unlike oil and gas which is found in unstable countries coal resources are found in politically and socially stable countries. Approximately 75% of the world’s coal resources are located in the United States China and India. Currently coal supplies 21% of the world’s energy demands and reserves are expected to last 250 years. When coal is burned energy is released. Unfortunately burning coal releases carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere which causes environmental damage.

Stage of DevelopmentThe technology is at an advanced phase of development. It needs further testing before the commercial implementation as viable mechanism to control CO2 emission. It has been developed as a low scale model and requires further research and optimization before it can be converted into a cost effective industrial process.Future DevelopmentFuture efforts will be concentrated on testing an optimal harvesting method for the algae including determining the duration and intensity of the lighting cycles used for their growth.

Eleven metals and their species are being considered for regulation under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments arousing significant interest in metal capture technologies. We have developed a process that greatly reduces toxic metal emissions from combustors. Our process provides lower mass transfer resistance and better mixing than existing methods. It also allows a choice of kinetic conditions making it possible to favor faster reactions. Our process converts toxic metals to benign materials and produces particles in a size distribution that allows them to be readily captured.

This patented dense catalytic membrane is designed to retrofit existing pulverized coal power plants for large-scale postcombustion carbon capture. The technology takes advantage of the nitrogen (N2) driving force and high temperatures of flue gas to effectively remove N2 and isolate CO2 for transport and storage. Compared to the current amine scrubbing techniques (e.g. MEA-based systems) of a similar scale the proposed membrane approach would have lower capital costs and land requirements with decreased parasitic power loads.

Pulverised coal power plants account for about 97% of the world's coal-fired capacity. The conventional types of this technology have an efficiency of around 35%. For a higher efficiency of the technology supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal-fired technologies have been developed. These technologies can combust pulverised coal and produce steam at higher temperatures and under a higher pressure, so that an efficiency level of 45% can be reached (ultra-supercritical plants).

This publication examines the sectors, technologies and policy measures that will be central in the transition to a low-carbon energy system. It addresses the following questions: (1) What are the roles of coal and gas in meeting the stringent decarbonisation requirements for the power sector consistent with IEA modelling of global climate goals? (2) What are moderate carbon prices accomplishing in the electricity sector, and how can they be helpful as part of a package of other policies?