Institutions such as the Shanghai Advanced Institute have proposed pathways for the low-carbon development of coal chemistry

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Shanghai Advanced Institute and others propose pathways for the low-carbon development of coal chemistry. Author/Source: Date: 2018-03-15 Clicks: 16 Recently, a joint research team from the Shanghai Advanced Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and ShanghaiTech University has made progress in the study of strategies for the low-carbon development of coal chemistry. They have developed a low-carbon composite energy system that combines nuclear/renewable energy with coal resources, offering an innovative solution for coal-rich regions to address the need for large-scale reductions in global carbon dioxide emissions. The notable feature of low-carbon composite energy systems and their system integration lies in the effective combination of low-carbon energy sources with traditional carbon-containing energy sources, along with the incorporation of appropriate technologies for carbon dioxide reduction and utilization. This approach enables low-carbon and efficient energy production from a systemic perspective; it ensures a stable supply of energy while simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide emissions, thus providing solutions for the low-carbon and efficient use of coal. Focusing on the concept of system integration for \"low-carbon composite energy systems\", the research team addressed the issue of high carbon content and low hydrogen content in coal during its chemical utilization. By combining low-carbon energy hydrogen production technologies with coal gasification processes to manufacture fuels and chemicals, they achieved a balance between carbon and hydrogen in coal chemical processes. The water-gas shift process, which is a source of direct carbon emissions in traditional coal chemistry, was eliminated, thereby significantly improving the energy efficiency and carbon efficiency of coal utilization and reducing carbon emissions substantially. Economic analysis shows that low-carbon composite energy systems will be highly competitive in the future, given the decline in low-carbon energy prices and the implementation of carbon taxes. Scenario analysis studies have found that the use of this system integration will yield significant carbon emission reduction effects. The relevant research findings were published in Joule. This research was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shell Oil Company.