Using coal with new technologies to extract energy while preventing pollution.
Use of microbes to digest coal and purify it.
Pushing the concept of “survival of the fittest” to the extreme, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed strains of bacteria able to live in harsh environments while
consuming carbon-rich materials such as coal. The bacteria’s digestive action removes potentially harmful pollutants,
and could be used to yield more-efficient, cleaner-burning coal. We have huge amounts of coal in the US and such
microbes may also be used to extract energy from tar sands and oil shale.
“These bacteria can convert ordinary coal to an environmentally attractive resource,” said chemist Mow Lin. He and
retired natural products chemist Eugene Premuzic were recently awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,294,351 for this work.
Coal is one of Earth’s most abundant fossil fuels. But burning it presents a variety of environmental problems,
including the release of atmosphere-polluting sulfur and nitrogen oxides, and leftover ash containing toxic metals.
While other scientists have attempted to use bacteria to remove these impurities, most microbes are unable to
survive the harsh conditions present when processing coal, such as high pressure, heat, and acidity.
http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr121101.htm
Use of nanotechnology to digest coal and purify it through microporous ceramics.
Use coal and convert it to hydrogen by combining it with steam.
Sequester CO2
- in old oil wells
- can be used to force out some of the remaining oil
- Rifkin predicts disaster if we do this but with multiple oil wells, not likely he is true. He compares it to storing
radioactive materials. Crazy comparison.
- Add CO2 to CaO (calcite) and get CaCO3 calcium carbonate otherwise known as long term stable Limestone.
-
Next
Use of microbes to digest coal and purify it.
Pushing the concept of “survival of the fittest” to the extreme, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed strains of bacteria able to live in harsh environments while
consuming carbon-rich materials such as coal. The bacteria’s digestive action removes potentially harmful pollutants,
and could be used to yield more-efficient, cleaner-burning coal. We have huge amounts of coal in the US and such
microbes may also be used to extract energy from tar sands and oil shale.
“These bacteria can convert ordinary coal to an environmentally attractive resource,” said chemist Mow Lin. He and
retired natural products chemist Eugene Premuzic were recently awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,294,351 for this work.
Coal is one of Earth’s most abundant fossil fuels. But burning it presents a variety of environmental problems,
including the release of atmosphere-polluting sulfur and nitrogen oxides, and leftover ash containing toxic metals.
While other scientists have attempted to use bacteria to remove these impurities, most microbes are unable to
survive the harsh conditions present when processing coal, such as high pressure, heat, and acidity.
http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr121101.htm
Use of nanotechnology to digest coal and purify it through microporous ceramics.
Use coal and convert it to hydrogen by combining it with steam.
Sequester CO2
- in old oil wells
- can be used to force out some of the remaining oil
- Rifkin predicts disaster if we do this but with multiple oil wells, not likely he is true. He compares it to storing
radioactive materials. Crazy comparison.
- Add CO2 to CaO (calcite) and get CaCO3 calcium carbonate otherwise known as long term stable Limestone.
-
Next
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