Life Cycle Of Coal Research Articles

Co-Benefits Analysis of Coal De-Capacity in China

China is the world’s largest carbon emitter and coal de-capacity is a policy with immediate and substantial CO2 reduction effects. However, the carbon emission reduction and health co-benefits arising from the coal de-capacity are often ignored. Here, we assessed the carbon emission reductions and quantified the health co-benefits from coal de-capacity based on an analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the mine closures and phase out during 2016–2022. Our findings show that China had closed/phased out a total of 4027 mines with a total de-capacity of 8.75 × 108 t, spatially concentrated in Southwest and North China from 2016 to 2022. The coal life cycle emitted 1859 million t of carbon during the coal de-capacity. Importantly, 11,775 premature deaths were avoided during 2016–2022 due to reduced PM2.5 exposure as a result of coal mining. This study highlights the significant effects of coal de-capacity on carbon reduction and health co-benefits in China and provides scientific evidence and data to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals and the ‘dual carbon goals’.

Low-carbon technological innovation of coal production and utilization impetus carbon neutrality in China.

European energy crisis, triggered by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, has again drawn attention to the decarbonization of fossil energy sources. However, few studies have objectively considered coal from an integrated life cycle and its position in the energy system. In the present study, we used the integrated life cycle analysis and fixed-effect panel threshold model to reveal that (1) power generation and heating and iron and steel smelting are the highest CO2 emission sectors. In addition, the coal chemical industry and power generation and heating are the two sectors with the highest contribution rate of CO2 emissions. (2) Based on these, underground coal gasification (UCG) and underground coal gasification-integrated gasification combined cycle (UCG-IGCC) technologies were introduced to innovate the coal life cycle (the process cycle of coal production and utilization). The panel threshold model has proved that when the energy intensity falls in the interval 0.363-2.599, UCG-IGCC technology could be the complement in mitigating CO2 emissions. (3) Finally, for the same amount of emission mitigations, the social cost of innovating coal production and utilization processes using UCG-IGCC technology will be lower than phasing out coal-fired power plants using carbon prices. For China, UCG-IGCC and renewable energy should be developed simultaneously.

Carbon emissions of coal supply chain: An innovative perspective from physical to economic

Carbon emissions reduction is not only physical, but also rooted in powerful economic actions. Coal-related emissions reduction strategies mainly focus on the physical quantity of carbon emissions, rather than the economic efficiency. So it’s necessary to strengthen the analysis of carbon emission reduction strategies from the perspective of economic value. Based on the theory of coal supply chain management, this study builds a carbon dioxide accounting model of China’s coal supply chain. The indicators for the process-based carbon emissions and carbon emissions per unit of economic value of various coal products are evaluated from the perspective of the whole coal life cycle. The results show that the processing and conversion of coal are the most important sources of carbon emissions in the coal life cycle. Coal-fueled electricity is the largest contributor to carbon emissions of all coal products. The coal-to-heat process has the highest carbon emissions per unit of economic value. Emission reduction strategies for coal supply chain are given in this research from both the physical and economic perspective. To realize emission reduction based on the physical perspective, it’s helpful to decrease coal consumption by reducing the proportion of coal-fired power and the gas capture technology should be promoted to facilitate gas utilization. Implementing the coal transition to natural gas policy and developing heat recovery technology have an effect on carbon emissions reduction from the economic viewpoint of coal supply chain.

Committed Emissions of the U.S. Power Sector, 2000–2018

AbstractAnnual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the U.S. power sector decreased 24% from 2000 to 2018, while carbon intensity (CO2 per unit of electricity generated) declined by 34%. These reductions have been attributed in part to a shift from coal to natural gas, as gas‐fired plants emit roughly half the CO2 emissions as coal plants. To date, no analysis has looked at the coal‐to‐gas shift from the perspective of commitment accounting—the cumulative future CO2 emissions expected from power infrastructure. We estimate that between 2000 and 2018, committed emissions in the U.S. power sector decreased 12% (six GtCO2), from 49 to 43 GtCO2, assuming average generator lifetimes and capacity factors. Taking into consideration methane leakage during the life cycle of coal and gas plants, this decrease in committed emissions is further offset (e.g., assuming a 3% leakage rate, there is effectively no reduction at all). Thus, although annual emissions have fallen, cumulative future emissions will not be substantially lower unless existing coal and gas plants operate at significantly lower rates than they have historically. Moreover, our estimates of committed emissions for U.S. coal and gas plants finds steep reductions in plant use and/or early retirements are already needed for the country to meet its targets under the Paris climate agreement—even if no new fossil capacity is added.

Assessment of the External Costs of Life Cycle of Coal: The Case Study of Southwestern China

Coal will continue to be the main energy source in China for the immediate future, although the environmental pollution and ecological impacts of each stage in the full life cycle of coal mining, transportation, and combustion generate large quantities of external costs. The Late Permian coals in southwestern (SW) China usually contain high amounts of fluorine (F), arsenic (As), and ash, which together with high-F clays cause abnormally high levels of endemic fluorosis, As poisoning, and lung cancer in areas where coal is mined and burned. In this paper, we estimate the external costs of the life cycle of coal. The results show that the externalities of coal in SW China are estimated at USD 73.5 billion or 284.3 USD/t, which would have accounted for 6.5 % of the provincial GDP in this area in 2018. The external cost of human health accounts for 87.2% of the total external costs, of which endemic skeletal fluorosis diseases and related lung cancers have the most important impact. Our study provides a more precise estimate of externalities compared with its counterparts in other provinces in China. Therefore, several policy recommendations would be proposed to internalize the external cost.

Life cycle-based environmental performance indicator for the coal-to-energy supply chain: A Chinese case application

Coal consumption and energy production (CCEP) has received increasing attention since coal-fired power plants play a dominant role in the power sector worldwide. In China, coal is expected to retain its primary energy position over the next few decades. However, a large share of CO2 emissions and other environmental hazards, such as SO2 and NOx, are attributed to coal consumption. Therefore, understanding the environmental implications of the life cycle of coal from its production in coal mines to its consumption at coal-fired power plants is an essential task. Evaluation of such environmental burdens can be conducted using the life cycle assessment (LCA) tool. The main issues with the traditional LCA results are the lack of a numerical magnitude associated with the performance level of the obtained environmental burden values and the inherent uncertainty associated with the output results. This issue was addressed in this research by integrating the traditional LCA methodology with a weighted fuzzy inference system model, which is applied to a Chinese coal-to-energy supply chain system to demonstrate its applicability and effectiveness. Regarding the coal-to-energy supply chain under investigation, the CCEP environmental performance has been determined as “medium performance”, with an indicator score of 39.15%. Accordingly, the decision makers suggested additional scenarios (redesign, equipment replacement, etc.) to improve the performance. A scenario-based analysis was designed to identify alternative paths to mitigate the environmental impact of the coal-to-energy supply chain. Finally, limitations and possible future work are discussed, and the conclusions are presented.

Life cycle energy efficiency evaluation for coal development and utilization

The energy conversion efficiency of coal utilization is a focal point in modern energy management practices and in academic literature. This paper explores life cycle energy efficiency of coal (LEEC), which encompasses six distinct stages from the design of coal mines to the comprehensive reuse of resources. First, the study analyzes improvements to the evaluation of efficiencies in energy systems. Secondly, it proposes a multi-stage energy efficiency analysis and constructs an innovative LEEC model for coal exploitation and utilization. Thirdly, the energy efficiency of coal exploitation and utilization was evaluated, and found that total efficiency in China increased from 33.11% in 2010 to 37.69% in 2014, saving 126 Mtce of energy. Finally, this study found that mine design is the most important stage in improving energy efficiency, followed by the coal processing stage. Moreover, we found that coal processing has an indirect contribution to other stages in the life cycle utilization of coal, such as reducing transportation capacity. The primary research contribution is the development of a comprehensive LEEC model for the entire life cycle of coal, rather than just single-stage evaluation. This lays the foundation for further studies on energy efficiency of industrial chains and across entire systems.

An accounting of the external environmental costs of coal in Inner Mongolia using the pollution damage method

Although coal makes substantial contributions to economic development, it also causes negative impacts on the ecological environment. To assess the real costs associated with the environmental degradation caused by the coal industry, this paper calculates the external environmental costs of coal in Inner Mongolia by applying the pollution damage method to the three phases in the life cycle of coal: production, transportation and utilization. Based on the environmental pollution and ecological damage caused by coal-related pollutants, this paper first establishes an index system for calculating the external costs associated with the coal industry and a research framework. A model to account for the external costs is then constructed on the basis of the index system to fully reflect the external costs associated with the coal industry. The results demonstrate that the total external environmental cost of coal in the region is 87.373 billion yuan. In detail, the environmental costs associated with the production, transportation and utilization of coal are estimated to be 17.845 billion yuan, 27.551 billion yuan and 41.977 billion yuan, respectively. During the production of coal, air pollution and the loss of value of aquatic ecosystems account for large proportions of the environmental cost, namely 21.78% and 42.67%, respectively. During the transport of coal, the external cost to the environment caused by seaway-based transportation is 12.369 billion yuan, which accounts for 44.89% of the total cost of transportation. Finally, during the utilization of coal, coal combustion causes the greatest damage to human health. These health-related losses are valued at 230.82 billion yuan, which accounts for 54.99% of the total utilization cost.

Impact of greenhouse gases on surface coal mining in Brazil

Abstract This paper presents the first inventory and environmental impact study of the life cycle of coal obtained from a surface mine in Brazil. Significant reserves of coal in Brazil have attracted the attention of investors interested in building chemical and power generation plants. This inventory was developed to serve as a database for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies, considering especially the impact of greenhouse gases, since there is no such information in the literature. The inventory collected data in situ, regarding the main pieces of equipment, inputs to the plant, and the direct emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), covering different stages of the coal mining and processing, as well as the indirect emissions of GHG from the production and transportation of inputs. The coal life cycle emissions were equal to 3.29 × 10−2 kg CO2eq per kg of coal, of which direct emissions accounted for 98.3% of GHG, in which the major part was due to fugitive methane emissions from surface mining and post-mining coal crushing and handling operations. Additionally, the results of a sensitivity analysis showed that the diesel oil consumption was the most influential parameter of life cycle emission in terms of the inputs regarded.

Study on each phase characteristics of the whole coal life cycle and their ecological risk assessment-a case of coal in China.

The paper divided the whole coal life cycle, explained each phase characteristics, and took coal mine in China as a study case to assess the ecological risk in coal utilization phase. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the whole coal life cycle is divided into coal mining, processing, transportation, utilization, and waste disposal. (2) The key points of production organization and characteristics in the five phases have great differences. The coal mining phase is characterized by the damage of the key ecological factors (water, soil, atmosphere, vegetation, etc.) damaged while the coal processing phase by discharging waste. The characteristics in coal transportation phase mainly performance as escaping and migration of atmospheric pollutants. In coal utilization phase, the main characteristics are aggravation of greenhouse effect. The main characteristics of waste disposal phase are accumulation of negative ecological effects on the land. (3) The ecological risk of soil heavy metals is serious in coal utilization phase. The potential ecological hazard coefficients of Pb and As in coal, residue and ash are all lower than 40, presenting low environmental impact on soil; the potential ecological risk coefficients of Cd are higher than 60, nearly half of their potential ecological risk coefficients are higher than 160, which presents high environmental pollution impact on soil; Hg's potential ecological risk coefficients are higher than 320, presenting the highest environmental pollution impact on soil; the comprehensive pollution indexes in coal, residue, and ash are relatively high, which means the pollution hazard potential to soil environment is high. (4) The ecological risk of the atmospheric solid suspended matter is relatively strong in coal utilization phase. The ecological risk of Cd and As in primary flue gas is both lower than net flue gas. The geoaccumulation indexes of Cd and Hg in primary flue gas and net flue gas are both higher than 5, presenting the very strong ecological risk; 50% of the geoaccumulation index values of As are between 3 and 4, which has also presenting a strong ecological risk while Pb does not present the ecological risk characterization.

Understanding the Contribution of Mining and Transportation to the Total Life Cycle Impacts of Coal Exported from the United States

The construction of two marine bulk terminals in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States are currently under review and would open up additional thermal coal exports to Asia on the order of almost 100 million additional tonnes per year. The major exporters of coal to Asian markets include Indonesia and Australia. This life cycle analysis (LCA) seeks to understand the role of transportation and mining in the cradle-to-busbar environmental impacts of coal exports from the Powder River Basin (PRB) to Asian countries, when compared to the competitor countries. This LCA shows that: (1) the most significant greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts in the cradle-to-busbar life cycle of coal for power generation come from the combustion of coal in a power plant, even when 90% carbon capture is applied; (2) for non-GHG air impacts, power plant combustion impacts are less dominant and variations in upstream impacts (mining and transportation) are more important; and (3) when comparing impacts between countries, upstream impacts vary for both GHG and non-GHG results, but conclusions that rank countries cannot be made. Future research should include expansion to include non-air impacts, potential consequential effects of coal exports, and a better understanding around the characterization of non-GHG ocean transport impacts.

Behind the life cycle of coal: Socio-environmental liabilities of coal mining in Cesar, Colombia

Open-pit coal mining in Cesar, Colombia increased by 74% between 2000 and 2012, generating environmental and social damages unacknowledged by companies and the state. This study aims to identify and value socio-environmental liabilities from coal mining at different stages of the coal life cycle. Environmental liabilities can be operationalized under three types of responsibilities: moral, legal, and economic. The identification of environmental liabilities allocates moral responsibility; the legal responsibility is needed for effective reparation; and the economic valuation provides arguments to claim compensation, seek remediation, and mitigation of damages. To identify socio-environmental liabilities, interviews were conducted and environmental mining conflicts were analyzed. To estimate monetary values, data were linked to existing literature on costs associated with damages. Results show that the economic values of socio-environmental liabilities per ton of extracted and exported coal are higher than the market price of coal. The main socio-environmental liabilities arise from pollution, local health deterioration, water table depletion, land and ecosystem services losses, damages from transportation and shipping, and coal reserve loss. A comparison with studies in China and the United States indicates that values increase when other health impacts and climate change on a global scale are included.

Environmental Impact Assessment of GHG Emissions Generated by Coal Life Cycle and Solutions for Reducing CO<sub>2</sub>

The objective of this paper consists of evaluating the coal life cycle and proposing technical solutions for reducing GHG emissions. After applying the life cycle assessment on the coal life cycle, it was noticed that the power engineering stage has a bigger environmental impact on different indicator impacts. In order to reduce the GHG emissions the CO2 chemical absorption process was integrated in the power plant based on the circulating fluidized bed combustion technology. Two cases were analyzed: super-critical and ultra-supra-critical parameters. For each case the environmental indicators (global warming potential, abiotic depletion potential, human toxicity potential, photochemical potential, acidification potential, eutrophisation potential) were evaluated in order to estimate the environmental effects on the coal life cycle with CO2 capture process. After the integration of the CO2 capture post-combustion process into the power plant, the GHG emissions decreased from 450,760 CO2 equiv. tons to 75,937 CO2 equiv. tons for super-critical parameters and from 438122 CO2 equiv. tons to 73245 CO2 equiv. tons for ultra-supra-critical parameters respectively. In order to increase the absorption capacity of the MEA solvent the SO2 emissions were reduced from flue gases and consequently the acidification potential was reduced too in both cases. On the contrary, the amount of fuel increased in order to maintain the functional unit as a result of the efficiency penalty of the CO2 capture integration in the power plant.

The Legacy of Extraction

The Legacy of Extraction

The mining and burning of coal: effects on health and the environment

Australia's coal conundrum is that all political parties say they are concerned about climate change while sanctioning an unprecedented expansion of coalmining and coal seam gas extraction in Australia. Australia's coal contributes to climate change and its global health impacts. Each phase of coal's lifecycle (mining, disposal of contaminated water and tailings, transportation, washing, combustion, and disposing of postcombustion wastes) produces pollutants that affect human health. Communities in which coalmining or burning occurs have been shown to suffer significant health impacts. The health and climate costs of coal are unseen, and when costs to health systems are included, coal is an expensive fuel.

Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal

Each stage in the life cycle of coal-extraction, transport, processing, and combustion-generates a waste stream and carries multiple hazards for health and the environment. These costs are external to the coal industry and are thus often considered "externalities." We estimate that the life cycle effects of coal and the waste stream generated are costing the U.S. public a third to over one-half of a trillion dollars annually. Many of these so-called externalities are, moreover, cumulative. Accounting for the damages conservatively doubles to triples the price of electricity from coal per kWh generated, making wind, solar, and other forms of nonfossil fuel power generation, along with investments in efficiency and electricity conservation methods, economically competitive. We focus on Appalachia, though coal is mined in other regions of the United States and is burned throughout the world.

A life cycle inventory of coal used for electricity production in Florida

Coal-fired power plants are anticipated to be increasingly used as a source of energy in the United States, particularly in states such as Florida that are experiencing rapid population growth and energy demands. While the emissions from coal combustion are a focus of intense study, little attention has been given to the emissions' contributions from other stages involved in the life cycle of coal used for electricity generation. This study inventories material and energy inputs and emissions in not only the Materials Processing stage (coal combustion) but also in the Raw Material Extraction (including coal mining and preparation) and Material Disposal (involving coal combustion products) stages, using data collected from four coal-burning utilities in Florida and SimaPro software (version 5.1, PRé Consultants, The Netherlands). Total emissions to air from all three stages are significantly higher than to water or land, with 78% of the air emissions attributed to carbon dioxide from coal combustion. Coal mining and preparation contributes the largest quantities of non-methane volatile organic compounds and methane (over 98%) as well as the most total dissolved solids to water (over 76%). Disposal of coal combustion products, typically by either landfilling or surface impoundment, results in the largest emissions of particulate matter (PM 10) to air (41%), a significant emission of total dissolved solids to water (over 22%), and a variety of metals to land. These results verify the major contributions of coal combustion to air emissions and show that the emissions from the Raw Material Extraction and Material Disposal stages may result in a significant enough negative environmental impact to warrant pursuit of pollution control and prevention opportunities in these stages as well.