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Algae to Cut Coal Plant Emissions
US - With international attention focused on carbon dioxide and its role in global climate change, power companies might find a hero in humble algae, a speaker said yesterday at the coal industry's Coal-Gen 2008 conference in Louisville.
According to the Courier Journal, engineers are experimenting with chemical processes that could remove carbon dioxide from the flue stacks of coal-fired electric plants and store it underground.
But fast-growing algae -- the slimy green stuff that coats ponds and poorly tended swimming pools -- soaks up carbon dioxide naturally and can thrive on coal-plant fumes, said Robert Healy, an associate consultant with Burns & McDonnell, a Kansas City, Mo., engineering construction consulting firm.
The resulting algae crop could become a valuable byproduct, Healy said.
Algae processing can squeeze out oils for use as biodiesel fuel, with the leftover material converted to animal feed or other products, he said.
Storing carbon dioxide underground is costly and returns no revenue, he said. But turning the waste into something that can be sold looks promising.
Healy was one of dozens of speakers at the annual coal-industry meeting, which is being held here for the first time. The event, which ends today, drew about 4,000, reports the Courier Journal.
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