The Coal Association of Canada (CAC) has formed a joint venture with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to explore the technical and commercial feasibility of generating electricity from coal with zero emissions.
The initial project team includes representatives of the Alberta government and Natural Resources Canada, as well as several private Canadian interests. Other Canadian utilities and resource companies are reported to be interested in joining.
CAC Chairman James Gardiner says the project “demonstrates the industry’s commitment to seeking long-term solutions to energy efficiency and environmental integrity.”
The team will examine technology that extracts hydrogen from water by feeding coal into a complex process involving continuously recycled hot lime (calcium oxide) in a closed loop system. Oxygen from water combines with the carbon from coal to produce carbon dioxide, which, in turn, reacts with serpentine (soapstone) to form an inert solid that can be safely buried back in the ground. Hydrogen is a clean source of energy, which can be used to produce electricity.
The project will run in three phases over a 5-year period. The first phase will focus on business and technical plan development, followed by scientific evaluation of the technology, and finally construction of a pilot plant.
Once the third phase is completed, a full-scale demonstration plant will be built.
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