Clean Coal Utilization
Coal is still relatively abundant worldwide, as well as in many places in the United States, including the State of Indiana. Yet burning of coal in power plants causes the formation of NOx and SOx, which result in acid rain if released to the atmosphere. Since the development of economical renewable energy sources is likely to take significant periods of research and development, it is almost inevitable that coal will become the energy and raw material resource of choice in the coming decades. The key is developing technologies for clean coal utilization. This may, for instance, involve coal gasification, followed by gas separation and use for both energy and as a chemical feedstock. Therefore, ND_E is placing an emphasis on the development of clean coal technologies.