IGCC Coal—Challenges & Realities
By: Nolan Moser, Ohio Environmental Council
A number of new coal energy technologies have been introduced recently as cleaner solutions to our energy needs. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) coal power is one of these technologies. IGCC offers significant environmental improvement over traditional coal combustion technology, but no coal generation is entirely clean, and IGCC requires coal mining and releases some pollutants.
What is IGCC?
IGCC technology is very different from the traditional coal burning energy processes, which use huge boilers that burn coal to create steam to run turbines. In the IGCC process, coal is not burned, it is gasified. Additionally, IGCC is not one process but two. Depending on the decision of the plant operator, coal, biomass, petroleum coke or asphalt is first fed into a gasifier, a large enclosed air and heat circulator. There, the material is exposed to incredible heat, and becomes a gas. Next, the gas is cleaned to remove most pollutants. The pollutants are concentrated and sold as commercial chemicals.
After the gas is cleaned, a synthetic natural gas is produced. This natural gas is then burned in a gas turbine. The positive aspects of the process are associated with emissions. IGCC uses 40 percent less water than conventional coal, releases 90 percent less mercury, 80 percent less sulfur dioxide, 35 percent less nitrogen oxide, produces 30 percent less solid waste (and that waste is non-leachable), and releases 80 percent less carbon, if outfitted with carbon capture technology.
Commercially, IGCC is a deployed technology that has been embraced by major multinational corporations. Today, the technology costs roughly 5-20 percent more than traditional coal options; but if carbon capture is required due to the passage of a carbon tax or cap federal law, IGCC will cost 20-40 percent less than traditional coal. Many energy companies see carbon costs or restrictions coming, and some have looked to IGCC as a possible hedge against the rising costs of greenhouse gas releases.
As a technology and potential power option, IGCC poses difficult questions for the environmental community. As noted, IGCC offers dramatic reductions in traditional pollutants, and is a step toward the path of carbon capture. However, IGCC coal plants will perpetuate mining, which has proven extremely destructive when practiced irresponsibly.
For more information, contact Nolan Moser at The Ohio Environmental Council, 1207 Grandview Ave. Suite 201, Columbus, OH 43212-3449; 614-487-7506; nolan@theOEC.org; www.theOEC.org.