China tests world's largest, 600,000-ton, coal-to-ethanol production plant

[NickB79]

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/worlds-largest-coal-to-ethanol-plant-china

The world's largest plant that converts coal into ethanol has begun its test runs at a facility in southeastern China, local media has reported. The technology developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) is the only in the world to have reached the industrial level so far.

The world is looking to phase out fossil fuels in the coming decades in a bid to reduce global emissions. China, which has traditionally relied on coal for its industrial growth, has invested heavily in renewable energy as it looks to meet more than 80 percent of its energy demand from non-fossil fuels by 2060.

Oh sweet Jesus......

[patphil]

1. Just an open question here. Is this process environmentally friendly?

I read the article, and it doesn't say. Is it better than just burning the coal. I can't imaging it's a very "clean" process.
Anyone know?

[eppur_se_muova]

2. It looks like it is, a little. They don't burn the coal completely, they partially burn it to make coke for steelmaking.

It's the coke flue gas that is actually converted to ethanol. Since the coke (purer form of carbon than raw coal) is going to be produced anyway, and flue gas carries most of the sulfur and nitrogen impurities that lead to pollution (aside from the GHG effect of CO2), this is basically making a useful chemical feedstock from what had been exhaust (though I think that is normally burned in furnaces, so it doesn't totally go to waste -- just makes lots of CO2 and sulfur/nitrogen emissions).

Granted "better than coking coal" is a low bar, it's still a little step up ...

[patphil]

3. Thanks for the info.

[DBoon]

4. I would avoid cheap made-in-china vodka