Underground coal gasification produces synthetic gas by heating a mixture of coal, air, and water. The process is seeped underground, making it a fairly clean procedure. However, opponents argue that it causes greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to global warming.
Environmentalists have been looking for an alternative fuel source for years. Some believe they have found it in the underground coal gasification process which produces synthetic gas. While not many people have probably heard of this type of technology, it’s nothing new.
What many consider unique about underground coal gasification is that it takes advantage of a certain natural resource that is abundant on this planet, namely coal. In general, the point of this process is to turn a mixture of coal, air and water into synthetic gas or syngas. This can be achieved by applying high heat and pressure. Once the fuel minerals are separated, the result is the sought-after syngas, which is now a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
Coal gasification begins when professionals drill two boreholes into the coal seam, which is the space just above where the planet’s coal is. The next step is to push air into the first shaft and then ignite the coal until its temperature is high enough. This heat buildup should typically create carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and a small amount of hydrogen sulfide and methane.
During the next stage, the oxidizers are pumped through the first well. The point of this action is to push the new gas mix, or synthetic gas, towards the second well. Once it reaches the surface, it will have filtered enough to produce what is called clean fuel. Only then can it be used to power things like cars.
Coal gasification could be considered a dirty process if it took place on the earth’s surface. The fact that the result of the technology is seeped underground before seeing the light of day makes it a fairly clean procedure. Impurities such as sulfur are eliminated before anyone can use the resulting gas.
This process was created in the late 1800’s and has been slowly being developed by a myriad of countries ever since. Due to the rising price of oil in the early 21st century, some former skeptics have begun to take this technology more seriously than before. Both diesel and regular fuel have been created, and some companies have also found other uses for coal gasification. For example, the hydrogen released from the process can be used to produce ammonia.
There are opponents of using coal to produce natural gas. They argue that coal gasification causes greenhouse gas emissions to be released into the air, possibly contributing to global warming. Many of them attest that this resource is just as harmful as using oil, which is why the idea hasn’t received much publicity since its inception.
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