Chemical Approaches to Cleaner Fuels

Global demand for fossil fuels continues to rise despite the regulatory pressures to reduce emissions generated by burning such fuels. With economically viable and commercially available alternative clean fuel sources still somewhere in our future, the only alternative currently available is to clean fossil fuels. Reliable, accurate, and robust real-time chemical analysis is an integral component of clean fuel production.

Clean Coal Technologies On a cost per million Btu basis, coal is the lowest cost form of energy. About five billion tons of coals are mined each year worldwide. At present consumption rates, proven coal reserves are pro ected to last over !"" years. #n contrast, proven oil reserves are e$pected to be depleted in %" years and natural gas in an additional &" years. 'oal is a more available and geographically evenly distributed source of energy. (he challenge is to develop technologies that can identify and measure harmful pollutants found in coal as well as technologies that can eliminate or se)uester those pollutants. A new generation of technological innovations referred to as 'lean 'oal (echnologies *''(+ are emerging that are designed to minimi,e the environmental impact of coal e$traction, preparation and use. ''(s can ta-e the form of new combustion processes, pollution control devices, and techni)ues to convert coal into other forms of fuel that reduce emissions and waste while increasing the amount of usable energy. 'oal )uality is an important factor in determining a particular coal.s economic viability as variations in )uality can adversely impact the cost of coal.

R/A'(#O01

2roduction of clean fuels re)uires real time chemical analysis to improve product )uality, reduce the cost of manufacture, increase operational efficiency, and meet regulatory re)uirements. We must be responsible enough in finding solutions for us to have cleaner fuels that are better than what we usually have, for it is more significant and it is also for our good and convenient living.

Carbon-based fuel
Carbon based fuel is any fuel whose energy derives principally from the o$idation or burning of carbon. 'arbon based fuels are of two main -inds, biofuels and fossil fuels. Whereas biofuels are derived from recent-growth organic matter and are typically harvested, as with logging of forests and cutting of corn, fossil fuels are of prehistoric origin and are e$tracted from the ground, the principal fossil fuels being oil, coal, and natural gas. 3rom an economic policy perspective, an important distinction between biofuels and fossil fuels is that only the former is sustainable or renewable. Whereas we can continue to obtain energy from biofuels indefinitely in principle, the /arth.s reserves of fossil fuels was determined millions of years ago and is therefore fi$ed as far as our foreseeable future is concerned. (he great variability in the ease of e$traction of fossil fuels however ma-es its endgame scenario one of increasing prices over one or more centuries rather than of abrupt e$haustion. 3rom the perspective of climate and ecology, biofuels and fossil fuels have in common that they contribute to the production of atmospheric carbon dio$ide, which has emerged in recent decades as the fastest-changing greenhouse gas, whose principal impacts are global warming and ocean acidification. 4owever biofuels actively participate in the carbon cycle today by photosynthesi,ing carbon dio$ide, unli-e fossil fuels whose participation was long ago, and can therefore in principle bring atmospheric 'O! into an e)uilibrium not possible with the continued use of fossil fuel. #n practice photosynthesis is a slow process, and the additional fuel produced by artificial methods of accelerating it such as application of fertili,er tends to be offset by the energy consumed by the accelerating processes to a degree currently under active debate. #n contrast the speed of photosynthesis is immaterial for fossil fuels because they had millions of years in which to accumulate. R/A'(#O01 We have depended on wood as a primary source of fuel for a very long time. #ndeed, our dependence upon wood goes bac- somewhere close to a million years. 'ontrolling fire was one of the first steps in the development of modern humans and our present civili,ation. 3orests all over the world have been sacrificed for the sa-e of industriali,ation and creature comforts. But the combustion of wood is not a very clean process, as it results in a large amount of ash, smo-e, and soot. #n the end though5 burning carbon is generally a messy business with inherent problems above and beyond the simple production of carbon dio$ide. And while we have developed progressively cleaner methods of burning carbon, carbon is intrinsically dirty. What it really comes bac- to is that burning any form of carbon for energy is a dirty business. We need to use our intellectual capacity to get past carbon-based fuels and develop fuels that don6t have such a detrimental footprint. We have a choice, and that is to thin- of the another way, to avoid using carbon-based fuel, to avoid using carbon based fuels is to utilise the power of the sun, otherwise -nown as solar power or alternatively the use of water for hydro power.

Greenhouse effect
(he greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the /arth e$periences because certain gases in the atmosphere *water vapour, carbon dio$ide, nitrous o$ide, and methane, for e$ample+ trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape bac- into space and /arth6s average temperature would be about 7"83 colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases. 4ave you ever seen a greenhouse9 :ost greenhouses loo- li-e a small glass house. Greenhouses are used to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouses wor- by trapping heat from the sun. (he glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but -eep heat from escaping. (his causes the greenhouse to heat up, much li-e the inside of a car par-ed in sunlight, and -eeps the plants warm enough to live in the winter. (he greenhouse effect is a process by which radioactive energy leaving a planetary surface is absorbed by some atmospheric gases, called greenhouse gases. (hey transfer this energy to other components of the atmosphere, and it is re-radiated in all directions, including bac- down towards the surface. (his transfers energy to the surface and lower atmosphere, so the temperature there is higher than it would be if direct heating by solar radiation were the only warming mechanism.

R/A'(#O01 (he /arth6s atmosphere is all around us. #t is the air that we breathe. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave much li-e the glass panes in a greenhouse. ;unlight enters the /arth.s atmosphere, passing through the blan-et of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the /arth.s surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight6s energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent bacinto the atmosphere. ;ome of the energy passes bac- into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat up. #t6s a challenge for us, so we must be very careful and conscious regarding the state of our mother /arth, for we need her, we benefit from her, and without her we will not be able to survive this life.

Other types of biomass for heat, power and transport

Anaerobic digestion Biogas can be created through the anaerobic digestion of food or animal waste by bacteria in an o$ygen-starved environment. (he resulting biogas contains a high volume of methane along with carbon dio$ide, which can be used for heating or for electricity generation in a modi<ed internal combustion engine. :ethane is a greenhouse gas that has a global-warming potential that is !!=!% times more powerful than that of carbon dio$ide. By trapping and utili,ing the methane, its greenhouse gas impacts are avoided. #n addition, heat generated during the biodigestion process -ills the pathogens present in manure, and the material left at the end of the process provides a valuable fertili,er. Gasication (hrough the process of gasi<cation, solid biomass can be converted into a fuel gas or biogas. Biomass gasi<ers operate by heating biomass in a low-o$ygen, high- temperature environment that brea-s it down to release a >ammable, energy-rich synthesis gas or ?syngas@. (his gas can be burned in a conventional boiler, or used instead of natural gas in a gas turbine to turn electric generators. Biogas formed through gasi<cation can be <ltered to remove unwanted chemical compounds and can be used in efficient ?combined- cycle@ power-generation systems that combine steam and gas turbines to generate electricity. Biogas for transport Antreated biogas is unsuitable as a transport fuel owing to its low methane content *7"=&" percent+ and high concentration of contaminants. 4owever, it can be treated to remove carbon dio$ide, water and corrosive hydrogen sulphide and to enhance its methane content *to over BC percent+. When compressed, treated biogas has properties similar to those of compressed natural gas, ma-ing it suitable for use in transport.

R/A'(#O01 Alternatives for some sources of energy are absolutely a diligent decision and study. (hese other types of biomass were found and discovered for definitely large and useful purposes. ;o as humans, we are in dominion of this world and of things in this world, and hopefully responsible in discovering and using our surroundings significantly. (hese other types of biomass are used in our daily lives and it6s certain that we benefit from them li-e for e$ample the given definition above that corresponds to their types and uses.

ro!ect in Ad"anced Chemistry

By1 :elissa Andrea '. 'ayas #D-Eiamond (o1 :rs. :arivic 3rancisco