Coal to Liquids (CTL) update

The Gilberton, PA coal-to-liquids (CTL) plant was advanced by the 2005 energy bill and Syntroleum Corporation and Linc Energy have signed a memorandum of agreement to pursue the development of a CTL project in Australia.

Gilberton CTL Plant

Funding for the Gilberton, PA was considerably eased by language in the 2005 energy bill.  Under provisions of the energy bill, Waste Management and Processors Inc. (WMPI) will be able to use a $100 million federal grant to secure loan guarantees for its planned coal-to-oil plant in Gilberton. 

With the federal guarantees, John W. Rich, president of WMPI, is "100% optimistic" about getting the financing to build the plant.  "There are about a dozen banks interested.  This is something all the banks would be interested in.  It's the government saying to the banks, 'don't worry about the loan."  "Now, we're talking about the spring of next year" for groundbreaking, with completion in another 30 months, Rich said about the plant.  The money already has been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy as a Clean Coal Power Initiative grant, according to U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum. 

While the technology has been used in Germany and South Africa, Rich's plant would be the first in the United States.

Syntroleum Corporation/Link Energy Memorandum of Agreement

Syntroleum Corporation, Tulsa, OK, USA, has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Australian-based Linc Energy to pursue the development of a coal-to-liquids (CTL) project using the Syntroleum(R) Process in Queensland, Australia. The agreement, combines Syntroleum's unique air-based Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology with Linc Energy's underground coal gasification (UCG) expertise. The agreement is part of Linc Energy's ongoing Chinchilla Project which also includes early development of an integrated a power plant. 

The UCG process utilized at the Chinchilla facility is similar to commercial techniques used in Russia for over 30 years. It involves injecting air and steam into an underground coal seam through a series of boreholes and igniting the coal in-situ. The coal seam is gasified and hot product gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide, or synthesis gas) is produced via a second series of boreholes.  The UCG syngas, undergoes sulfur removal and additional conditioning at the surface.  The syngas is similar to that obtained from conventional surface coal gasification systems, but production is achieved at a much lower cost.

"They have produced commercial volumes of nitrogen-diluted syngas which we believe have the characteristics uniquely suitable for Syntroleum's air-based FT process," said Ken Roberts, senior vice-president of business development at Syntroleum.  The synthesis gas flows into a reactor, where in a reaction based on F-T chemistry and containing a proprietary catalyst developed by Syntroleum, the gas is converted into synthetic hydrocarbons commonly referred to as "synthetic crude oil."

Further discussion of CTL can be found at About Coal Liquefaction.

Resources:

"Rich project receives boost", The Republican & Herald, 8/3/05   
"Syntroleum and Linc Energy Plan to Integrate Air-Based Fischer-Tropsch Technology with Underground Coal Gasification", Syntroleum press release, 8/15/05

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