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Clean Coal Technology Research Totals $400 Million in Ohio, Americans for Balanced Energy Choices Finds

Posted on: Thursday, 28 February 2008, 15:00 CST

Ohio is home to 21 research projects designed to advance clean coal technology and worth more than $400 million, according to a survey of public-private technology projects compiled from public records by Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC).

The projects (complete list below) involve developing a range of emission control technologies, including CO2 capturing, software ingenuity and equipment enhancements. Only California has more such projects underway.

"Clean coal technology is allowing us to retrieve the energy we need from our most affordable and reliable domestic source of fuel -- coal," said Joe Lucas, Executive Director of ABEC. "This investment will allow Ohio to reduce emissions and work toward a fleet of near-zero emissions power plants."

In 2007, 85% of Ohio's electricity was coal-generated. ABEC notes that coal has been a significant player in helping control electricity cost inflation in Ohio, while other energy costs more than doubled in the last five years.

The research projects are located in 14 communities around the Buckeye State, from Aberdeen and Cincinnati in the southwest, to Alliance, Cleveland and Niles in the northeast, Columbus in the center and places in between.

"Ohio provides a major supply of coal for our country's energy needs," said Lucas. "This investment in technology research will be instrumental in sustaining the viability of Ohio's job market and economy while and improving the quality of the state's environment."

Researchers from Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Cincinnati and Battelle Memorial Institute are involved, along with employees of Dayton Power and Light, Ohio Power Company, Ohio Edison and FirstEnergy.

The U.S. Department of Energy and its National Energy Technology Laboratory are the primary government sponsors of the research.

In another study released this week, ABEC found that energy costs consume almost half the incomes of the lowest-income families and almost a fifth of after-tax income of families earning between $10,000 and $50,000 a year.

Americans for Balanced Energy Choices is a non-profit, non-partisan group that promotes a dialogue with community leaders across the nation to discuss balancing America's growing demand for electricity with the need to protect the environment. ABEC counts more than 150,000 members nationwide, with 5,000 living in Ohio. Because of its prominence in the nation's energy mix, electricity from coal is a major focus of the dialogue. The Web site is www.americaspower.org.

Location

Project

Financing

City / County

Research org.

Project Name

Facility name

Description

Public ($000)

Private ($000)

Aberdeen

Dept. of Energy -- National Energy Technology Laboratory

Full-Scale Demonstration of Low-NOx Cell Burner Retrofit

Dayton Power and Light Company's J.M. Stuart Plant, Unit No. 4

To demonstrate the cost-effective reduction of NOx from a large, baseload coal-fired utility boiler with LNCB® technology and to achieve at least a 50% NOx reduction without degradation of boiler performance at less cost than that of conventional low-NOx burners.

5,442.8

5,790.6

Akron

Dept. of Energy

Zeolites for CO2 Capture

University of Akron

The objective of this project is to develop the amine-grafted zeolites for CO2 capture and SO2 capture with more 10,000 times repeated thermal cycles between 25-150 degrees Celsius with less than ten percent degradation.

765.0

156.0

Alliance

Dept. of Energy -- National Energy Technology Laboratory

Development of the Coal Quality Expert™

ABB Combustion Engineering, Inc. and CQ Inc.

The objective of the project is to provide the utility industry with a PC software program it could use to confidently and inexpensively evaluate the potential for coal-cleaning, blending, and switching options to reduce emissions while producing the lowest cost electricity.

3,621.3

3,627.4

Alliance

Dept. of Energy

Corrosion Modeling

The Babcock & Wilcox Company

The objective of this project is to develop comprehensive corrosion models and predictive equations that can be used to estimate the corrosion rates of boiler tubes in coal-fired utility boilers.

2,100.0

500.0

Alliance

Dept. of Energy

NOx Control Technology

The Babcock & Wilcox Company

The Babcock & Wilcox Company in collaboration with American Air Liquide, proposes to develop and demonstrate an advanced NOx control technology with an ultra-low NOx emissions target of 0.10 lb/million Btu for high-volatile eastern bituminous coal combustion.

914.0

1,270.0

Brilliant

Dept. of Energy -- National Energy Technology Laboratory

Tidd PFBC Demonstration Project

Ohio Power Company's Tidd Plant, Unit No. 1

To verify expectations of PFBC economic, environmental, and technical performance in a combined-cycle repowering application at utility scale; and to accomplish greater than 90% SO2 removal and NOx emission level of 0.2 lb/106 Btu at full load.

66,957.0

122,929.3

Cincinnati

Dept. of Energy

System for Removing NOx and Mercury from Coal-Fired Flue Gases

The University of Cincinnati

A three-year investigation is proposed to develop a novel, advanced Low Temperature Selective Catalytic and Adsorptive Reactor (LTSCAR) for the simultaneous removal of NOx and mercury (elemental and oxidized) from coal-fired flue gases in a single unit.

200.0

Cleveland

Dept. of Energy

Design Tools for Syngas- and Hydrogen-Fueled Turbines

Case Western University

Case Western Reserve University will develop the tools necessary for the design of future coal derived synthesis-gas (syngas) and hydrogen (SGH) fueled combustion turbines.

400.0

13.4

Columbus

Dept. of Energy

Chemical Sequestration of CO2 in Deep Saline Formations

Batelle Columbus Laboratories

A project to evaluate and examine factors which may affect the geological and geo-chemical sequestration of CO2 from power plant emission (captured, transported, and injected) in deep saline formations.

8,520.0

870.0

Columbus

Dept. of Energy

Assess Carbon Pools in Reclaimed Mine Soils

Ohio State University

Ohio State University researchers will develop and test several analytical procedures to determine the size of coal-derived carbon in reclaimed mined soils.

426.0

126.0

Columbus

Dept. of Energy

Carbon Sequestration in Reclaimed Mine Soils of Ohio

Ohio State University

Ohio State University will assess the soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential of reclaimed mined soils (RMS).

563.0

143.0

Columbus

Dept. of Energy

Enhanced Hydrogen Production with Integrated CO2 Separation

Ohio State University

OSU will demonstrate the success of a technology to effectively and economically produce a pure hydrogen stream by coal gasification with integrated capture of CO2 emissions, for its subsequent sequestration.

529.0

134.0

Columbus

Dept. of Energy

Gas Sensing Technologies for Boiler Balancing

Ohio State University

Ohio State University is to develop a sensor array for monitoring NOx, CO, and O2 with sub-second response times at temperatures from 480 degrees Celsius to 815 degrees Celsius

624.0

200.0

Columbus

Dept. of Energy

Technology for Hydrogen Production with CO2 Separation

Ohio State University

University researchers will simplify the production of hydrogen by integrating the water gas shift reaction through in-situ CO2, sulfur and hydrogen halide removal from the synthesis gas at high temperatures in a single stage reactor process while eliminating the need for the WGS catalyst.

1,250.0

310.0

Diles Bottom

Dept. of Energy -- National Energy Technology Laboratory

SOx-NOx-Rox Box™ Flue Gas Cleanup Demonstration Project

Ohio Edison Company's R.E. Burger Plant, Unit No. 5

To achieve greater than 70% SO2 removal and 90% or higher reduction in NOx emissions while maintaining particulate emissions below 0.03 lb/106 Btu.

6,078.4

7,193.2

Greenville

Department of Energy/Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership/NETL

MCRSP Phase III Large Scale Geologic Injection Test

The Andersons Marathon Ethanol (TAME)

Implementation of CO2 injection operations in deep saline rock formations to promote understanding of injectivity, capacity and storage potential in Mt. Simon Sandstone. Primary site is The Andersons Marathon Ethanol (TAME) Plant.

30,500.0

16,000.0

Independence

Dept. of Energy

Advanced Materials for Ultrasupercritical Boiler Systems

Energy Industries of Ohio

Energy Industries of Ohio is evaluating different metal alloys that can be used in ultrasupercritical steam boilers that operate at 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit.

19,890.0

10,250.0

Lorain

National Energy Technology Laboratory

LIMB Demonstration Project Extension and Coolside Demonstration

Ohio Edison's Edgewater Station, Unit No. 4

The LIMB process reduces SO2 by injecting dry sorbent into the boiler at a point above the burners.

7,591.7

11,719.4

Mentor

Dept. of Energy

Next Generation Hydrogen/Syngas Injector Technology

Parker Hannifin Corporation

Parker Hannifin Corporation will develop the next generation of hydrogen/syngas injector and combustor technologies that achieve reduced emissions of harmful pollutants.

1,040.0

490.0

Niles

Dept. of Energy -- National Energy Technology Laboratory

SNOX™ Flue Gas Cleaning Demonstration Project

Ohio Edison's Niles Station, Unit No. 2

To demonstrate SNOX™ technology at an electric power plant using U.S. high-sulfur coals in which it will catalytically remove 95% of SO2 and more than 90% of NOx from flue gas and produce a salable by-product of concentrated sulfuric acid.

15,719.2

15,719.2

Shadyside

NETL/Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership

Appalachian Basin Geologic Test at R.E. Burger Power Plant

FirstEnergy R.E. Burger Plant

Injection testing in deep saline reservoirs.

14,300.0

3,767.0

TOTAL

$199,631.4

$206,438.5

Source: Business Wire

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