Coal Gasification

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Prime minister has announced target  to gasify 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal by 2030 which will be a big boost to coal gasification in India and fulfil vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ using clean coal technology.

Concept:

• Coal gasification is the process of converting coal into synthesis gas (also called syngas), which is a mixture of hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
• The syngas can be used in a variety of applications such as in the production of electricity and making chemical products, such as fertilisers
• The coal gasification process holds good potential in the future, with coal being the most abundantly available fossil fuel across the world, and that even low-grade coal can be used in the process.

Advantages:

• Underground coal gasification eliminates mining needs.
• Compared to traditional coal mining and processing, the underground coal gasification eliminates surface damage and solid waste discharge, and reduces sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
• Underground combustion produces NO2 and SO2 and lowers emissions, including acid rain.

Background

Despite hosting the world’s fourth-largest coal reserves, India imports around 235 million tonnes (mt) of coal a year which is second-largest in the world