Technology
Our patented technology allows for the molecular structure of the 'fixed carbon' component of brown coal to be changed.
This 'fixed carbon', once water and volatile hydrocarbon components of the coal are removed through selective combustion, can be used as a reductant, in electric arc furnaces, in the production of steel and special alloys. This 'fixed carbon' can also be converted into activated carbon - for use in water treatment and other specialist applications.
Our technology has been developed over some thirty years and draws on the initial work from the University of Melbourne, sponsored by CRA (now Rio Tinto). This has been significantly enhanced with the ability to transcend from the laboratory scale to a scale required to support commercial power stations.
The process, through selective combustion of only the hydrocarbon component of the coal, will allow electricity generation at the same 'very low' emission levels currently obtained from using high cost natural gas. It will also allow recovery and re-use of the water contained in the brown coal. For an average 1000Mw Brown Coal Power Station using Victorian Brown Coal (60% moisture), this would be over 12,000 Megalitres of water per annum.
It would produce metallurgical coke equivalents at lower carbon dioxide emissions than can be obtained from current coke ovens. All of this can be done at current prices, without subsidies. Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production are less than 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per Megawatt.
Our technology adds value to the 'fixed carbon' component, because it is not combusted to make low cost electricity. Although our technology will process more coal for a given electrical output, the multiple outputs provide a significantly enhanced economic outcome.
Burning brown coal to destruction, solely for the generation of electricity, will not reduce emissions per Megawatt of electricity. We acknowledge that some minor reductions may be possible with significant additional capital and operating cost. No significant emission reductions are possible however if the coal, whether wet, dry, gasified or liquefied, is burnt to destruction.
In terms of Australia's energy resources, we believe that there is more energy available in only the hydrocarbon content of Victoria's Brown Coal, than contained within the gas reserves of Australia's North West Shelf. This represents a huge economic resource which can be used in an environmentally responsible manner.
Pacific Edge Holdings has patents for our technology in Australia, United States, Canada, Germany, Indonesia and India.
