Coming soon: A "Strategic Fuel Ecoplex"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11.12.06
Silverado Green Fuel Inc. digs up low grade lignite coal, cooks it to drain its water, adds water back to produce an oily gook that they have the gall to call "Green Fuel". They want to build a "Strategic Fuel Ecoplex" in Alaska. The Green Fuel isn't good for much- you have to make an atomized spray out of it, so it could be used in oil-fired power stations, of which there are few. However the next stop in the ecoplex is to turn the Green Fuel into synthetic natural gas, which can be done, with one small hitch- "gasification and liquefaction process releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and will also require a large increase in coal mining "with all the environmental problems which that entails." Silverado admits that gasification produces four times as much CO2 as just burning the coal straight, but "There is such as huge market and such a high demand that there cannot be enough coal-to-liquid plants built in this country," ie- global warming be damned, we have to drive to the mall. We will give them credit- only a genius could invent the term "Strategic Fuel Ecoplex" for a coal-to-gas refinery- that and "Green Fuel" give new meaning to the term "Greenwashing". Otherwise this is one project that should be deeply sequestered. ::Silverado via ::UPI via ::Wired
The parent Co. says:it "...looks forward to the completion of its demonstration project which will create many commercial opportunities. These include sales of Silverado’s Green Fuel to utility and industrial oil users, especially to the major oil importers in the Pacific Rim, as well as the export of the fuel production technology and engineering, sales of equipment and instrumentation made in North America to developing nations, particularly to Asia and Eastern Europe". All the countries not currently signatories to the Kyoto convention in other words. Nice.
This makes me mad! The eco-friendly names they use
are reminiscent of the regressive Bush initiatives like the famous:
"Clear Skies" plan, and the
"Healthy Forests" initiative.
I am definitely sending some
concerning E-mails. I just
wish Treehugger would post
some suggestions. :0)
Mr. Fraser at the energyblog says this will be soon commercialized and backed by the federal government. So, maybe you should have headed your blog.
Coal burning. Back by popular demand!!! Cough.
Maybe you should read further down the page before posting your negative comments.. You probably burned fossil fuels on your way to work today!
The creation of these fuels in a contained field using oxygen instead of air in the gasification process allows for the extraction of all CO2 and eliminates NOX gasses during FT conversion!!!
The most environmentally sound method to generate power from coal is via IGCC. In this process coal is gasified at high temperatures and pressures. The synthesis gas is shifted entirely to CO2 and H2. CO2 is then scrubbed out and recovered for sale for enhanced oil recovery or sequestering in deep alkaline aquifers. Pure H2 could then be converted to electricity in a gas turbine or fuel cell with no additional CO production. Silverado’s Green Fuel is an excellent feedstock for power generation via slurry-fed gasifiers in consideration of the environment and maintenance of favorable economics.