What will be the environmental impact of "coal to liquid"?

[cmd]

I'm a coalminers daughter (cmd) and have lived in a coal producing for much of my life. Coal mining as left gashes in the earth, re-landscaped some of the most beautiful part of our state, destroyed farmlands and put food and clothing on our table. The Appalachian counties in Ohio need the kick this new plant would give us. However, we have to look at the price paid. Do any of you have any info of the environmental impact these plants have had in South Africa?

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/117878628745100.xml&coll=2

Washington - Politicians and businessmen who want to produce diesel and jet fuel in eastern Ohio from coal and farm waste hailed a study Wednesday that predicted the "coal-to-liquid" product would pollute less than more conventional fuels.

Baard Energy of Vancouver, Wash., wants to build a $4 billion plant along the Ohio River in Wellsville that would use an updated version of World War II-era technology, producing about 50,000 barrels per day of fuel, as well as chemical byproducts used in the plastics industry.

The Ohio plant would be the first of its kind in the United States, although coal-to-diesel technology is widely used in South Africa.

(clip)
Baard's fuel would also provide an 80 percent reduction in sulfur oxide emissions over low-sulfur diesel made from petroleum, and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 20 percent, the study said. Its fuel would cost 20 to 30 percent less than jet and diesel fuel now costs, said Baardson.

[Kolesar]

1. NRDC: Hazards of Coal Mining Would Increase With Liquid Coal

Hazards of Coal Mining Would
Increase With Liquid Coal

Large-scale deployment of liquid coal plants would cause a significant increase in the amount of coal mining and its harmful effects. Coal mining creates hazardous and acidic waste, which can contaminate groundwater. Strip mining, a technique in which land and vegetation are stripped away by giant machines, not only damages surfaces and permanently reshapes landscapes, but it also can destroy habitats and affect water tables. The destructive practice of mountaintop removal to extract coal involves clear-cutting native hardwood forests, using dynamite to blast away 800 to 1,000 feet of mountaintop, and then dumping the debris into nearby valleys. And post-mining reclamation is problematic at best. The increase in coal production anticipated for liquid coal plants using today’s practices would increase harm to the environment and adversely affect many of the people who live and work near coal mines.

Global Warming CO2 Emissions Could Nearly Double With Liquid Coal Experts say we need to cut global warming emissions by 60 to 80 percent by mid-century to minimize irreversible and harmful effects of global warming. The United States and other nations should use energy resources that produce less carbon dioxide pollution than that produced by oil, gas, and coal. And the technologies we invest in now to meet our future energy needs must have the potential to perform at much reduced emission levels. So how do liquid coal processes perform?

To assess the global warming implications of a large liquid coal program, we need to examine the total life cycle, or “well-to-wheel”, emissions of these new fuels. Coal is a carbon-intensive fuel, containing almost double the amount of carbon per unit of energy compared to natural gas and about 20 percent more than petroleum. Proponents of coal-derived liquids claim they are “clean” because the fuel is sulfur-free, but when coal is converted to transportation fuel, two streams of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced: one at liquid coal production plants and one from exhaust pipes of the vehicles that burn the fuel. Emissions from liquid coal production plants are much higher than those from producing and refining crude oil to produce gasoline, diesel, and other transportation fuels; emissions from vehicles are about the same.

The total well-to-wheels emission rate for conventional petroleum-derived fuel is about 27 pounds of CO2 per gallon of fuel. If the CO2 from the liquid coal plant is released into the atmosphere, based on available information about liquid coal plants being proposed, the total well to- wheels CO2 emissions from coal-derived fuel would be about 50 pounds of CO2 per gallon— nearly twice as high. Introducing a new fuel system that doubles the current CO2 emissions of our crude oil system is clearly at odds with our need to reduce global warming emissions. Even If the CO2 Is Captured, Liquid Coal Still Pollutes More Than Current System If the CO2 from liquid coal plants is captured instead of being released into the atmosphere, then well-to-wheels CO2 emissions would be reduced some but would still be higher than emissions from today’s crude oil system. Even capturing 90 percent of the emissions from liquid coal plants leaves emissions at levels somewhat higher than those from petroleum production and refining; emissions from the vehicle using the coal-derived liquid fuels are equivalent to those from a gasoline vehicle. As a result, with CO2 capture well-to wheels emissions from coal-derived liquids fuels would be 8 percent higher than for petroleum. Since policies to cut CO2 emissions are inevitable, proceeding with liquid coal plants now would leave investments stranded or impose unnecessarily high abatement costs on the economy.

In summary, using coal to produce a significant amount of transportation fuel would harm communities and the environment in coal producing regions and is incompatible with solving global warming.
February 2007 R5 www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/solutions
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/coal/liquids.pdf

[cmd]

2. Thanks, I thought you would be able to help out

And the environmental impact is just as I thought; more stripped out "reclaimed" lands, yellow water and air pollution. I'll put this on my agenda of "concerns for my congressman". Poor Zack, he's going to get tired of seeing me.

[MeDeMax]

3. don't sweat it, he signed up for it

just don't make him admit that he is really a republican
like Steven Kobare did :-)

[Sara Bradi]

4. interesting interview medemax

my stupid computers keeps stalling

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/videos/district/index.jhtml?playVideo=81832

[jeromeowen]

6. Coal Mining

Technological success has changed the life of everyone in the world and it has also changed the way coal mining companies explore and market coal.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.lincenergy.us

[derickjeff]

5. Coal to liquids

The introduction of CTL into the developing countries of Asia that have suitable coal and/or lignite reserves makes good sense.The replacement of traditional crude oil with CTL crude has positive economic, environmental and security aspects for those countries. The co-generation of electricity will also be positive, as will the co-production of by-products of sulphur, waxes and LPG (liquid petroleum gas).

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.lincenergy.us