Brigham Young University: Global Warming
Alternative energy option presented at meeting of world's largest science society - 02/11/08
A Brigham Young University professor widely recognized for his research into the process of turning coal into gas told an audience at the annual meeting of the world's largest scientific society that the technology may, for the first time, be financially compelling, thanks to concerns about global warming.
Larry Baxter, professor of chemical engineering, was part of a panel discussion titled "Coal Gasification: Myths, Challenges and Opportunities" presented Friday, Feb. 15, at the conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the organization that publishes the journal Science. Gasification is the process of releasing coal's energy with extremely high temperatures but without enough oxygen to burn it all.
"Global warming issues may create gasification's best chance for success," Baxter said of the technology that has been used in rudimentary form since World War II. "Gasifiers produce a nearly pure carbon dioxide stream that may be more easily captured and stored than most other processes."
Gasification has potential contributions to both transportation and electrical power energy markets. With ongoing concerns about the price and availability of oil, populous countries like the U.S. and China with large coal reserves are exploring other energy options. Gasification has been appealing because it can turn coal or biomass into transportation fuel.
"Gasification has never really found its footing in the U.S. as either a transportation fuel or power generation technology because of problems of implementation and costs," Baxter said, noting that the complex process costs more to build and is more difficult to maintain than traditional oil refinement for motor fuel or coal-fired plants for electricity.
