Clean Coal? Myth or Reality.


The term “clean coal” refers to a group of technologies made with the purpose to burn coal more efficiently and to controls pollution generated from burning coal. So, the term can be applied to a wide range of technology. However, when people think about “clean coal”, they usually think of a specific technology called “Carbon Capture and Storage” or CCS.  CCS technology focuses on trapping Carbon Dioxide and store it below the earth into rocks instead of releasing it into the atmosphere (Grossman, 2018).  
Even if coal technologies have advanced over the years making the process more efficient, there is still no such thing as clean coal. 

 The first reason why there is no such thing as clean coal is because CCS technologies are extremely expensive. Carbon Capture and Storage technologies not only are expensive to build, but also they are expensive to maintain. In fact, there are only twenty-one CCS plants across the world (Grossman, 2018). A few numbers of Carbon Capture and Storage plants are not able to make a change in the environmental impacts of carbon. To really see the difference, it would be necessary to implement CCS plants. However, a report made by the Global CSS Institute estimates that develop CCS plants could cost "$100 billion annually" (Grossman, 2018). The mass development of CCS plants around the globe is highly improbable making the CCS technology not very effective. 

 CCS technologies do not significantly reduce CO2 coal emission. In fact, transportation is the major globally producer of CO2.  It is estimated that 30 to 50 percent of the global emissions of CO2 derived from transportation (Cho,2013). Capture and storage Carbon Dioxide produce by burning coal is still not enough to solve the carbon dioxide problem, one of the major greenhouse gasses. In fact, CCS technologies do not affect transportation and its emission.  

 Also, CCS technologies are not efficient. To produce the same amount of energy using Carbon Capture and Storage technologies would require between 25-40% more coal (Endcoal,n.d.). This means that using CCS technologies require more coal to be mined, transported, processed and burned. So, more coal means also more air pollutant and hazardous waste. CCS technologies reduce the CO2 released by burning coal. However, they do not reduce any other environmental impact during the entire process of producing energy from coal. They rather produce even more pollutions.   

 Carbon Capture and Storage technologies might not actually work.  CCS technologies are still studied by scientists and they are not yet considered a final solution. In fact, scientist still do not know if “CO2 stored underground can remain secure permanently or if CO2 might eventually leak into the atmosphere or groundwater” (Cho,2013). Carbon Capture Storage technologies might be only a temporary solution or, even worst, a mere distraction. 

 Coal produce many types of pollutants and CCS, or any other technology, cannot capture all of them. Even if a coal plants combine CCS technologies with other technologies that remove pollutants –not considering the cost of doing it- toxins will still be been produces and end up in the coal ashes (Endcoal, n.d.). Producing coal in fact more than releases CO2.  Coal generate Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrous Oxides, Particles and Mercury only from the smokestacks. Coal ashes are after stored in waste pond or landfill. Consequently, they pollute water with sulfur dioxide and heavy metals creating environmental hazards and health hazards.  

 “Clean coal” technologies are so expensive that cannot be spread enough around the globe. They also do not reduce significantly CO2 emission since “clean coal” still involve a lot of transportation. “Clean coal” technologies are not efficient and rather might generate even more pollution. There is also no scientific proof that Carbon Capture and Storage technology can permanently store carbon dioxide into the ground. Moreover, any type of “clean coal” technologies are not able to completely erase all the pollutants or the environmental consequence of mining, producing and burning coal.  Therefore, clean coal is just a myth.  

 References: 

 Cho, R. (2013, August 22). What's the Real Story with Clean Coal? Retrieved from https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2013/07/01/whats-the-real-story-with-clean-coal/. 

 Endcoal. (n.d.). Myth 2: Coal is Clean. Retrieved from https://endcoal.org/coal-myths/myth-2-coal-is-clean/. 

 Grossman, D. (2018, April 2). How Does Clean Coal Work? Retrieved from https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/news/a27886/how-does-clean-coal-work/. 

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