Is there REALLY such a thing as "clean coal?"

[Brumrha]

You've probably heard on the TV that people are telling us about a thing called "clean burning coal." Thing is, however, is that coal has been, & still is, a primary source of smog, as it is a fossil fuel. The mere thought of coal being burnt without having any ill effects on the environment is nothing short of blasphemy IMO.

Thus, I'm starting this debate in order to press for the truth. The question is, is there really such a thing as clean coal? If there is, how can it be made?

Although this is something different than my other debates, one thing is still common: My involvement in this will seldom, if at all, deviate beyond starting this.

*Retreats into the panic room*

 

[Shishioken]

It's impossible even in any theology; even burning oil or a frypan produces harmful gas, so how exactly is a natural fuel source supposed to be 100% safe in any lifetime? Exactly.

 

[BigLutz]

Clean Coal is a bit ambiguous as they can do various things to clean it. Ranging from purifying the coal to make it less polluting when they burn it, to catching the pollution before it is released into the atmosphere, to well a million of other things.

Thing is that while Clean Coal Technology is very expensive, the U.S. is the Saudi Arabia of coal, so I would expect work on trying to find a way to make it less polluting, will continue as long as we continue to have a huge amount of coal.

 

[The_Panda]

I'm highly sceptical of any claim that we definitely can "clean" coal in any way, and I for one have not seen any convincing evidence that what is being said is outside the imagination (some steps seem to have been made but not too many). Regardless, completely abandoning coal is something we probably won't be able to do for a hundred years or more. Any solution to environmental issues in general has to take into account the many options that are open (like nuclear, "clean coal" and renewable energy) and thus these avenues should at least be touched upon in some way. While of course renewable power is far more desirable environmentally to other sources, research into "clean coal" is somewhat worthwhile.

Oh and BigLutz keep in mind we're looking for sustainable, not gimmick energy. Catching it before it is released is a nice idea, but storage might actually require more power than the coal generates, thus creating something entirely circular. And could you clarify what you mean by purification, as far as I'm concerned, carbon combusts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (and reacts pretty damn well too), so it is intuitive that purer coal would create more carbon dioxide. That being said though it's more than possible that certain impurities could either react better or give off nastier greenhouse gases. But again you need to consider whether the purification uses more power than it generates.

 

[Poliwag2]

It exists, but not on any significant scale. The process includes removing impurities with chemicals and catalysts, and gasification. The technology is there, but it is too expensive and not commercially viable (nor particularly efficient considering the high energy requirements for the reactions to occur). The investment into "clean coal" is little more than a token gesture from the industry; it is mainly for PR purposes.