Science and Coal

Posts Tagged ‘development’

Nurses are in high demand now more than ever. Some believe that today’s lifestyles are considerably unhealthy, thus more illness and disease. More and more nurses are needed every day to help care for the sick and dying. The United States Government predicts that nursing will soon become the second most popular profession in the entire nation. As more men and women choose to pursue a nursing career, more and more scholarships are being offered by an array of organizations. Here are 7 great scholarships almost any nursing student can get.

AAOHN Leadership Development Scholarship : Offered by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, this scholarship can be yours if you’re pursuing a career in occupational and environmental health nursing. There are 2 scholarships up for grabs. One is offered by the AAOHN in the amount of $1,000.00, and the other is offered by Texas State AOHN and is also in the amount of $1,000.00.
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High oil prices and the desire to reduce energy dependence in the United States have brought coal-to-liquid (CTL) technology to the forefront of the discussion about alternative fuel sources. Nearly 100 years old, CTL processes have long been used by countries lacking access to oil, most notably Germany, where production peaked during the 1940s; South Africa, which has been using CTL technology for fuel since the 1950s; and, more recently, China, where the Shenhua Group LLC began trial operation of the world’s first direct CTL facility in December 2008, and intends to eventually produce 1 million tons of coal-based liquid fuel a year. The U.S. Government promoted the development of CTL technologies following the oil shocks of the 1970s, but shelved the projects after the price of oil fell during the 1980s. In the current economic and political environment of the United States, with oil prices surpassing $100 per barrel in summer 2008 and generally projected to rise in the long term, synthetic fuel derived from coal may once again become economically viable, and several projects are in the initial design phase around the country. From an environmental standpoint, however, the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced throughout the lifecycle of coal-based liquid fuel make it a less desirable option.

Turning Coal into Liquid Fuel
Coal can be converted into liquid fuel using several liquefaction processes; these processes can be divided into two general categories. The first category, indirect liquefaction, is a multi-step procedure that first requires the gasification of coal to produce a “syngas.” This syngas is then converted to liquid fuel via two methods: the Fischer-Tropsch process or the Mobil process. In the Fischer-Tropsch process, which is much more common, the syngas is then cleansed of impurities and subjected to further chemical refinement to produce a sulfur-free diesel or gasolinei. The initial syngas can be derived from coal alone, or from a coal / biomass mixture. The process is the same when biomass is included, but the amount of CO2 emitted during the process decreases as the proportion of biomass increases. In the less-common Mobil process, the syngas can be converted to methanol, which is subsequently converted to gasoline via a dehydration sequence. Indirect liquefaction of coal during Fischer Tropsch produces a significant amount of CO2 that is removed from the fuel as a necessary step during the final stages of the process. However, recent research has suggested a modified Fischer-Tropsch method that could significantly reduce CO2 emissions during liquefaction.ii
The second category, direct liquefaction, requires creating a chemical reaction at high temperatures and then using hydrogen gas and a catalyst to produce a liquid fuel. Direct liquefaction usually produces low-quality liquid fuel that is expensive to make compliant with U.S. standards for purity. Therefore, although the process is used in China, it is not a viable option for meeting the United States’ liquid fuel requirements and will not be discussed for the remainder of this brief. Read the rest of this entry »

The world has taken a step closer to “clean coal,” thanks to new technology that actually uses CO2 to make power generation more efficient.
The research by scientists at Columbia University means that millions of tons of CO2 could be prevented from entering the atmosphere and instead used to turn coal, biomass and municipal waste into cleaner fuel.

This remarkable double hit is based on a well-established process called “gasification” that is already used to clean “dirty” fuels by heating them with steam and turning them into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, known as syngas. In turn, that is then burned in power stations or used to create transport fuels.

But until now this process has demanded very large amounts of energy and water, and produced substantial CO2 emissions. Read the rest of this entry »

Turning coal into gasoline-like fuel has several advantages. It would use America’s vast coal reserves. It would reduce the nation’s thirst for foreign oil and help dampen spikes in energy prices. There’s just one problem: It is not “climate friendly” – at least, not yet.

Coal-to-liquids (CTL) fuels could end up emitting nearly double the carbon dioxide that the equivalent amount of gasoline does, mostly because of the way it’s manufactured. The CTL industry says new technology will fix the problem. But because such technology is not yet developed, it’s unclear whether CTL fuels would be competitive without state and federal subsidies, even competing against high-priced diesel, jet fuel, or gasoline, analysts say.

That’s where politicians come in. The National Mining Association has ramped up Capitol Hill lobbying, creating a new coalition and website, futurecoalfuels.org. Many in Washington are warming to the idea. CTL bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate have received strong backing. Read the rest of this entry »