Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/330408
Sector Check 42 | ZZZFHGPDJFRP | Construction Equipment Distribution | June 2014 authority of the EPA to regulate the smog from coal plants that drifts across state lines from 28 Midwestern and Appalachian states to the East Coast. The ruling bolsters President Obama's environmental agenda to cut pollution at coal-fired plants. Could CCS Technologies Brighten Coal's Future? With increasingly strict and costly emissions regulations, electricity providers in the U.S. are turning away from coal in increasing numbers. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have the potential to help utilities meet rising global energy demand while reducing CO2 emissions from coal. "CCS is the only technology that can address CO2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants and large industrial facilities, such as cement and steel plants," said Pamela Tomski, senior advisor, Policy & Regulatory for the Americas at the Global CCS Institute. According to Tomski, CCS is a suite of technologies, many of which have been used for industrial applications for decades. The challenge is to integrate them at large- scale for use in power generation and heavy industry and advance new second-generation technologies that can significantly drive down capture costs. The eight large- scale integrated CCS commercial demonstration projects in the U.S. Department of Energy's portfolio are a critical step to advancing CCS at scale and for different applications. Much of the criticisms of CCS center around its high cost. CCS requires additional capital costs as well as additional energy during the capture phase. Incorporat- ing CCS at a power plant could decrease its net power output by as much 30 percent. Other obstacles to CCS include uncertainty around the regulatory environment and questions about long-term liability. Without climate legislation or new regulations that mandate the technol- ogy, power companies don't really have an incentive to deploy the technology. One positive force driving the market for CSS, particular- ly in the U.S. and Canada, is the opportunity to utilize CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Today, most of the CO2 used in EOR operations comes from natural underground 'domes' of CO2. The limiting factor for CO2 EOR growth in the U.S. is the availability of cost-competitive CO2 supplies. Captured CO2 emissions from power plants and industrial facilities could be compressed and transported by pipeline to oil fields, providing additional revenue to help offset higher CCS operating costs. Currently there are 21 CCS projects in construction or ´7KH)XWXUHRI&RDOLQD¶)XHO'X-RXU· :RUOGµFRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH How CCS Technologies Work Capture CO2 capture can take place before, during or after combustion of fossil fuels. CCS can prevent up to 90% of industrial CO2 emissions from reaching the atmosphere. Transport CO2 has to be compressed and transported, most likely by pipeline to a site suitable for storage, including EOR. Storage In the final stage of CCS, CO2 is injected using high pressure deep underground in the microscopic pores of suitable rock formations, where it can be kept securely away from the atmosphere and monitored over time. Fluids such as water and oil, and gases such as methane have accumulated in the earth for of years. Types of Coal Lignite: A brownish-black coal with high moisture and ash content and lower heating value. Geologically, is the youngest and the lowest ranked coal, containing 25 to 35 percent carbon and the lowest heating value-4,000 to 8,300 BTUs per pound. Subbituminous: A dull black coal with a higher heating value than lignite that is used primarily for generating electricity. It contains about 35 to 45 percent carbon and has a heating value between 8,300 to 11,500 BTUs per pound. Although subbituminous coal has the second lowest energy content, large quantities are found in thick beds near the surface, resulting in low mining cost and, correspondingly, lower prices. Wyoming produces the vast majority of subbituminous coal in the U.S. Bituminous: Sometimes called "soft coal" it is the most common type of coal found in the U.S. It is 45 to 86 percent carbon and has a heat content between 10,500 and 14,000 BTUs per pound. This is the type most commonly used for electric power generation in the U.S. and for producing coke for the steel industry. The oldest and most abundant coal type found in the U.S., bitumi- nous coal makes up 45 percent of U.S. coal production by weight. West Virginia leads production, followed by Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Anthracite: Sometimes called "hard coal," anthracite has the highest energy content of all coals. It contains 86 to 97 percent carbon, and has a heat content of nearly 15,000 BTUs (British thermal units) per pound. There are about 7.3 billion tons of anthracite reserves, located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Anthracite accounts for just 2 percent of U.S. coal reserves.