Rajinder P. Singh

Greening Coal: Breakthroughs and Challenges in Carbon Capture and Storage

Like it or not, coal is here to stay, for the next few decades at least. Continued use of coal in this age of growing greenhouse gas controls will require removing carbon dioxide from the coal waste stream. We already remove toxicants such as sulfur dioxide and mercury, and the removal of CO₂ is the next step in reducing the environmental impacts of using coal as an energy source (i.e., greening coal). This paper outlines some of the complexities encountered in capturing CO₂ from coal, transporting it large distances through pipelines, and storing it safely underground.

Chapter 6 – H2 Selective Membranes for Precombustion Carbon Capture

Abstract Abundant fossil energy sources such as coal, biomass, and natural gas will play a dominant role in achieving energy sustainability provided advanced technologies for energy conversion from these sources in an environmentally friendly way are developed. One of the critically needed advanced technologies is carbon dioxide capture. Among known carbon separation technologies, membrane-based gas separation processes are expected to play an important role in the separation of CO2 from gaseous streams emitted by the utility industry. With no moving parts, energy conservation near thermodynamic limits, and various possible routes for integration into power generation schemes, gas separation membranes can potentially dominate the CO2 separation market. This chapter is focused on precombustion carbon capture using membranes, with detailed discussion on membrane process integration, the major membrane material classes under consideration for these separations, and their development status.