Coal “Clean Energy” by Enhancing Thermodynamic Reversibility
and Capturing and Recycling of Carbon-dioxide

By M. Kostic
www.kostic.niu.edu/energy
NIU, September 2007

The two things are certain in not distant future: (1) the world population and their living-standard expectations will substantially increase, and (2) the fossil fuels’ economical reserves, particularly oil and natural gas, will substantially decrease. The difficulties that will face every nation and the world in meeting energy needs over the next several decades will be more challenging than what we anticipate now. The traditional solutions and approaches will not solve the global energy problem. New knowledge, new technology, and new living habits and expectations must be developed to address both the quantity of energy needed to increase the standard of living world-wide and to preserve and enhance the quality of our environment.

Coal is an important fossil energy resource to help in transition from oil and gas to diverse spectrum of other energy resources and new technologies, as well as carbon resource for synthetic hydro-carbons and other chemicals. The carbon-dioxide as coal energy conversion product should not be released in environment as green-house pollutant, but should be captured and stored, or even better, recycled as another useful resource for “growing” bio-chemo-synthetic hydrocarbons and related industries (let us learn from Nature). Coal could only compete with other resources by employing innovative and efficient technologies including cogeneration and integration of power generation and new industries on global scale, to close the cycles at sources and thus increasing Thermodynamic reversibility (the Second Law true efficiency – let us learn from Thermodynamics) and protecting environment at the same time.

However, regardless of imminent shortages of fossil fuels the outlook for future energy needs is encouraging. There are many diverse and abundant energy sources with promising future potentials, so that mankind should be able to enhance its activities, standard and quality of living, by diversifying energy sources, and by improving energy conversion and utilization efficiencies, while at the same time increasing safety and reducing environmental pollution.

More at: www.kostic.niu.edu/energy