J-Power to Develop Carbon Capture Technology for Coal Gasification Process

Electric Power Development Co., a Japanese energy company known as J-Power, has launched a 3-year program (fiscal 2007-2009) to develop a technology for separating and capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the coal gasification process, in collaboration with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). This development will be conducted at J-Power's Wakamatsu Research Institute in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture.

J-Power and NEDO have worked on a project named "Coal Energy Application for Gas, Liquid and Electricity" (EAGLE) since 1995 to establish a coal gasification technology that produces synthetic gas efficiently and economically. When developed, the new CO2 separation and capture system will be installed in the EAGLE pilot plant with a coal processing capacity of 150 tons per day. The plan is located on the site of the Wakamatsu Research Institute.

The research objective of the program is to assess the performance of separating and capturing CO2 from the pressurized coal gasification process, with a focus on practical CO2-absorbing solution and a pretreatment method. Setting the CO2 recovery rate at around 90 percent in consideration of costs, the company aims to increase the CO2 purity to 99 percent or more.

A combination of the highly efficient coal gasification technology and the carbon capture technology would reduce CO2 emissions to almost as low as those from liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants. Through these efforts, the company is hoping to establish CO2 separation and capture systems that will enable the cleaner use of coal.

http://www.jpower.co.jp/english/ir/pdf/2005-08.pdf

Posted: 2007/05/26 10:41:59 PM
Japanese version