[Jeon Seungmin's Science World] In the Era of Energy Crisis, Do Not Underestimate Coal

[Asia Economy] The most widely used energy source in South Korea is not oil or nuclear power, but coal. According to Statistics Korea, the total coal (bituminous coal + anthracite) thermal power generation in 2021 was 197,966 GWh (gigawatt-hours), accounting for 53.69% of the total (368,699 GWh), exceeding half. However, coal is considered a primary cause of fine dust and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and is treated as an energy source that "must eventually be phased out." But is this really the case?

Recently, there have been many new interpretations of coal among energy experts. The biggest problems associated with coal are the emissions of "fine dust" and "carbon dioxide." These issues can be largely addressed through two main technologies. The first is constructing power plants under environmentally friendly conditions. Leading this trend is the Incheon Yeongheung Thermal Power Plant, completed in 2014, and the newly built thermal power plants use electrostatic precipitators to filter out 99.9% of fine dust. Although carbon dioxide remains a challenge, it is believed that applying 'CCUS' technology?which captures and stores CO₂ separately during the power generation process?can overcome this as well.

The second method is improving coal quality technology. Using low-grade coal results in higher fine dust emissions, but treating such low-grade coal with hot water, diesel, cellulose, and other substances enhances its quality before it is fed into power plants. When coal is used under optimal conditions like this, it emits levels of fine dust and carbon dioxide comparable to LNG.

If the technology is available, coal is actually versatile. It can be processed into coal-to-liquid (CTL) fuel, which is similar to petroleum. Although its output is somewhat lower than regular petroleum, it does not significantly affect vehicle operation. It can also be produced from low-grade coal, offering strong price competitiveness.

Coal still has resources that can be used for over 200 years and is deposited worldwide, so concerns about monopolization are minimal. While focusing solely on renewable energy, we hope not to make the mistake of neglecting coal, which can be effectively and more cleanly utilized in this era of energy crises.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.