Clean Fuels from Coal
AUTHOR: Anne-Gaelle Collot
DATE: February 2004
This report focuses on the technologies for the production of clean fuels from coal syngas and their implications for greenhouse gases emissions. Only the 'clean fuels' which are directly produced from coal-syngas are reviewed here. The production of other clean fuels, such as olefins and MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) or hydrogen which are synthesised from the clean fuels listed above will not be reviewed. Existing and developing technologies for the capture/sequestration of CO2 associated with the zero emission technologies (ZET) from coal have been reviewed in the study on Prospects for hydrogen from coal and are not covered here. The report gives details of existing and developing technologies for the production of:
- methanol and higher alcohols from coal syngas;
- dimethyl ether (DME);
- Fischer-Tropsch (FT) liquids;
- substitute natural gas.
It also includes examples of feasibility studies for the coproduction of these clean fuels and electricity from the gasification of coal as well as future developments in process technologies and catalysts for their economic production.