Today we’re looking at Liquification or Coal to Liquid. Coal to Liquid is what would be used to turn coal into something that could be used by motorists. The interest in Coal to Liquid (CTL technology) has been rising rapidly as gas prices have gone up accordingly. In April of this year, the first ever Conference for Coal to Liquid Technology occurred. And skeptics of the event and of Coal to Liquid technology don’t think CTL can work, at least without a lot of pollution.
The energy required to convert coal to liquid fuel doubles the amount of carbon dioxide released compared to fuels refined from oil. The discussions in Paris — and elsewhere — breezily circumvented the potential climate impact of large-scale fuel production this way by noting that the carbon dioxide could be captured, compressed, and buried. The problem, of course, is that the world has not yet tested whether that technology is feasible at scales beyond about 1 million tons of carbon dioxide a year — a fraction of the amount that would result should the planned projects proceed.
Full article
