President Obama talks about “clean coal technology”—what is it?
President Barack Obama has made clean energy a national priority. Part of his energy plan is to “spur the development of low-carbon sources of energy — everything from wind, solar, and geothermal power to safe nuclear energy and cleaner coal.” The IGCC process sends coal through a device called a gasifier. By being subjected to high temperatures and high pressure, the coal undergoes a chemical reaction that creates a synthesis gas. The cleaned “syngas” is then used in a gas turbine to generate power with fewer emissions that traditional coal plants – thereby making it a cleaner technology using coal.
