Clean coal

Clean coal is not a new type of coal but a concept: using coal to produce energy with very little pollution.

This concept has emerged from the need for economies to have a cheaper supply of energy and have larger stocks than oil, while satisfying the desire of society for less pollution, both locally (smog, acid rain) and globally (the greenhouse effect).

The principle of clean coal

Clean coal is therefore a set of techniques and technology used to improve the energy efficiency of coal-fired power stations and reduce emissions of pollutants (NOx, SO₂, etc.) and greenhouse gas (CO₂).

Setting up a clean coal industry depends on:

• the modernising of power stations;
• generalising filtering and recycling systems foratmospheric pollutants;
• adopting new technologies such as the co-combustion of biomass or the integrated gasifier/combined cycle;
• techniques for the capture and sequestering of CO₂.