How feasible is coal-to-methane?
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I have a question for the experts: what is the likelihood of success in producing methane from coal? Please recommend relevant materials
It is necessary to consider the raw material costs, investment costs, operating costs, environmental and social benefits of coal-to-methane, as well as **policy support. Based on market analysis, technical solution evaluation, as well as site and technical-economic assessments, the preliminary conclusions are as follows: (1) It represents a clean and efficient coal production system; it is one of the most effective and economical ways to achieve comprehensive utilization of coal and increase its added value, and it is in line with **’s industrial policies as well as energy and environmental protection policies. ⑵Using lignite as a raw material to produce synthetic natural gas as a substitute for natural gas, along with by-products such as tar, phenol, and ammonia, offers a broad market potential, and the cost of these products is highly competitive. ⑶The selected site has favorable conditions: convenient transportation, no occupation of arable land, guaranteed water supply, and reliable supplies of raw materials and energy. ⑷Techno-economic analysis shows that the project has moderate economic benefits; the internal rate of return on the total project investment (after taxes) is 10.63%, and the break-even point is around 55.36%
This research has been achieved both in the laboratory and on an industrial scale. The factory in Fuxin, Liaoning, belonging to Datang, uses gasification followed by methanation; since the calorific value of syngas is relatively low, syngas is synthesized into methane again, and the resulting methane is used as fuel gas. This technology is highly mature and fully industrialized.
Do you mean direct methane production, or indirect methane production? The indirect method is more or less the preparation process for the Luchi furnace; the first step should be the blue gas technology.
The Datang Keqi project and Shenhua’s coal-to-natural gas project are about to start construction, while the project in Fuxin is still in the research phase. The core process for converting coal into natural gas, namely methanation, relies on foreign technology from companies such as David or Topsoe; the methane content achieved in this process can reach around 97 percent.
David in the UK is a bit better at technology.