How Can The Coal Industry Be Made More Environmentally Safe And Clean

ITB Professor Creates Hybrid Coal as More Environmentally Friendly Solid Fuel

BANDUNG, itb.air-conditioning.id - The utilization of coal equally energy resource has been done since several centuries agone, but the massive exploitation merely began in the 19^th century later the invention of steam engines by James Watt. The most common utilise of coal is straight combustion to generate heat. Currently, coal is more often than not used equally fuel for steam power plants. Compared to other fossil fuels similar petroleum and natural gas, coal produces more CO₂ emissions and particulates in the form of ash particles.

Entering the 20^th century, when several renewable energy sources such equally solar energy, wind, biomass, hydro, etc. began to be utilized, environmental activists began to call for a reduction in coal use. In improver to causing greenhouse gas emissions, coal combustion likewise has the potential to pollute the environment with compounds such equally NO_x and So_x that cause acrid rain. On the other manus, coal is still a major source of energy for industries due to its arable reserves, lower equipment investment costs, and qualified technological support.

To respond the issues that occurred on the utilization of coal, on Saturday, March ten^th 2022, Prof. Dwiwahju Sasongko, Professor of Faculty of Industrial Technology delivered a scientific oration at the ITB Professor Forum held at the West Hall ITB, entitled "The Challenge of Evolution of Make clean Coal Technology in Republic of indonesia".

Prof. Sasongko, or simply Mr. Song, explained that Republic of indonesia currently ranked at the 9^th or around 2.ii% of the earth's full coal reserves. Unfortunately, about eighty% of Republic of indonesia's coal reserves including the medium and low rank coal with a calorific value of less than 5000 kcal/kg. Coal with low calorific value is withal piddling in corporeality and untapped. With coal production of more than 400 meg tons per year, but nearly xx% is used for domestic purposes while eighty% is exported.

To be more than environmentally friendly, coal processing technology requires a breakthrough in its development. The breakthroughs that accept been implemented on a commercial scale are on combustion technologies. Industries can cull three types of furnace namely fixed bed (stoker), fluidized bed (FBC = Fluidized Bed Combustion), and entrained bed (PF = Pulverized Firing). Recently, the FBC has been compelling to its user because of its relatively low operating temperature (800-900° C) which produces NO_x slightly lesser compared to 1200-1400° C in PF. The FBC uses a 15 mm scale coal particle feed that requires less energy for scouring than the PF that burns micrometer scale coal particles. Furthermore, the addition of limestone other than sand every bit heating medium tin capture And then_x to produce gypsum. Along with the evolution of FBC, PF technology also adult with some modification in combustion technique and then that the operating temperature is lower, hence decreasing the NO_x emission.

Aware that middle and low rank coal are nevertheless underutilized fifty-fifty though Republic of indonesia has big sum of biomass waste, Mr. Song, Dr. Winny Wulandari, and Dr. Jenny Rizkiana made a breakthrough by manufacturing hybrid coal. Both of middle/low rank coal and biomass waste are converted into hybrid coal. Hybrid coal is produced by mixing coal particles and biomass (e.g. sawdust) using binders and then processing them with pyrolysis at low temperatures (200-300° C). This process often referred to as torefaction. With this process, some volatile materials are decomposed and detached from the coal/biomass matrix so that the calorific value of this solid fuel is higher than the calorific value of the feed. Biomass becomes more hydrophobic so it is not piece of cake to decompose and the level of erodibility will be increased, hence making the reduction of the size of hybrid coal particles for FBC and PF feed is easier to do. What makes it fascinating is that the CO_two emissions in hybrid coal combustion are lower than coal feeds because the CO₂ produced in biomass combustion is neutral CO₂.

Prof. Sasongko and squad also undertake other researches to overcome the negative impact on coal processing. Besides being done physically and chemically, the sulfur content in coal can be set bated from coal biologically by utilizing Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. He also used Trichoderma sp and other biological methods to break the hydrocarbon concatenation in a coal matrix to generate liquid fuel through biosolubilization. By converting coal into liquid fuel, there won't be whatever ashes upon combustion.

These studies are certainly the reply to the government'due south mandate in Commodity 25 paragraph (i) of Government Regulation No. 79 of 2022 on National Energy Policy, which states that the research, development and awarding of energy technology is directed to support the national free energy industry. It is also stated explicitly stated in Article 24 paragraph (2), which is to provide greater opportunity for national companies in the management of oil, natural gas and coal. "Given some of the advantages of coal and has fabricated many efforts to overcome its negative impacts, Indonesia has the potential to contribute to the development of environmentally friendly coal processing technology in the present and future," said Prof. Dwiwahju Sasongko.

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