Production of Liquid and Gaseous Fuels from Coal – Chances and Perspectives

The paper discusses the possibility of obtaining liquid and gaseous fuels from different types of biomass (BM) and combustible solid waste (CSW) of various origins. The available world reserves of traditional types of fuel are analyzed and a number of environmental shortcomings that created during their use are indicated. The tables present the data on the conditional calorific value (CCV) of the main traditional and alternative types of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels which compared with CCV of various types of BM and CSW. Possible methods for utilization of BM and CSW are analyzed, as well as the methods for converting them into alternative types of fuel, especially into combustible gases.Reliable information is given on the available oil and gas reserves in Azerbaijan. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the currently available oil reserves of Azerbaijan can completely dry out after 33.5 years, and gas reserves–after 117 years, without taking into account the growth rates of the exported part of these fuels to European countries. In order to fix this situation, first of all it is necessary to use as much as possible alternative and renewable energy sources, especially wind power plants (WPP) and solar photovoltaic energy sources (SFES) in the energy sector of the republic. Azerbaijan has large reserves of solar and wind energy. In addition, all regions of the country have large reserves of BM, and in the big cities, especially in industrial ones, there are CSW from which through pyrolysis and gasification is possible to obtain a high-quality combustible gas mixture, comprising: H2 + CO + CH4, with the least amount of harmful waste. The remains of the reaction of thermochemical decomposition of BM and CSW to combustible gases can also be used as mineral fertilizers in agriculture. The available and projected resources of Azerbaijan for the BM and the CSW are given, as well as their assumed energy intensity in the energy sector of the republic.Given the high energy intensity of the pyrolysis and gasification of the BM and CSW, at the present time for carrying out these reactions, the high-temperature solar installations with limited power are used as energy sources, and further preference is given to the use of WPP and SFES on industrial scale.

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