Coal-to-Liquid Technology: Not a Panacea

                                                                                         

Coal-to-Liquid (CTL) is not a new technology. Two German scientists invented the Fischer-Tropsch process of producing liquid fuel from coal in the 1920s. During World War II Germany and Japan used the process to fuel their war effort, as coal was far more abundant to them than oil. (1)

In the 1950s, the Sasol Company was founded in South Africa and the Kellogg Corporation (USA) built a coal-to-liquid plant at Sasolburg. This was followed in the late 1970s by the world’s largest synthetic fuel plant at Secunda. Sasol now employs over 30,000 people and has the largest number of PhD’s in the Southern Hemisphere. (2)

With the recent sharp increases in oil prices, Sasol’s business has expanded significantly, with projects underway in Qatar and Nigeria, among others, and negotiations taking place with the USA.

The major advantage of coal-to-liquid conversion is a reduced dependence on unstable and frequently hostile oil-producing nations, in addition to the looming prospect of oil depletion. The USA has vast reserves of coal. It is estimated that at the current rate of consumption it has enough coal to last 200 years. CTL is favored among politicians and presidential candidates. In fact, in December 2007, Congress approved a bill, which allocated $2.2 billion in tax incentives for clean coal technology applications. (3)

However, there are some major drawbacks to CTL. First, building CTL plants is very costly, requiring a large initial investment. So far, American companies have been unwilling to make such an investment without government subsidy. Second, the process from coal to burned fuel produces almost twice as much greenhouse gas per gallon as conventional fuel, as well as considerable other pollutants. Third, large-scale implementation would require increased coal mining activity, with consequent damage to the environment.

Until recently, China, which has huge pollution problems combined with energy shortages, was eager to implement CTL processes, but lately has become concerned about the huge up-front investment and increased harmful emissions attendant to this technology, plus the fact that it is not a renewable energy source. Now the Chinese government is more interested in biofuels (fuels produced from plant or animal substances). (4)

While coal-to-liquid may be a stopgap solution to rising oil prices and dwindling availability, its many drawbacks make it less than biofriendly and not optimum as a long-term answer to energy shortages. Renewable energy sources are the ultimate answer, but implementing them will require time. Meanwhile, fossil fuels should be used more effectively to buy that time. Green Plus® liquid fuel catalyst from Biofriendly Corporation provides a cleaner, more linear burn in internal combustion engines, with resulting improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and improved torque.

For more information about Green Plus, visit the Biofriendly website at www.biofriendly.com.

References:

(1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer-Tropsch_process
(2)http://www.slate.com/id/2152036/?nav=ais
(3)http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/01/08/many-presidential-candidates-support-coal-to-liquid-fuel/
(4)http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/06/10/china-may-abandon-liquified-coal-projects/

About the author:
Author, Peter Verhoeff, contributes articles on environmental issues for Biofriendly Corporation. More information on these and other topics can be found on the Biofriendly site.

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