Research, led by Dr Joe da Costa from the School of Engineering’s chemical engineering division, has differed from other research in that it focuses on the start of the cycle rather than the more expensive end.

“Our process happens at the start, before the coal is even burnt, which reduces the cost of removing oxygen as well as making the capture of CO2 easier,” da Costa said.

The secret of the process rested in the technology of producing ceramic hollow fibres that were exceptional at removing oxygen from the air.

Da Costa said the fibres, which were less that 1mm in diameter, were woven in a novel process that combined nanotechnology and ceramic powder technology.

He said the next stage of the research would be to reduce the temperature at which the process happened, to make it cost effective on a large industrial scale.

“At the moment the process takes place at 800 degrees but we need to get it down to around 500 degrees to make it commercially viable,” he said.

“And this technology can not only be applied to coal power generation but other energy sources and processes as well, such as natural gas and coal gasification respectively.”

Da Costa said investment in clean coal technology was vital to make the best use of our finite resources.

“Our best estimates of oil and even natural gas is that they won't last till the end of the century,” he said.

“But coal reserves could last for up to 500 years, so research in this area is vital for future use.”

Da Costa said his research would be about five years away from being commercially applied in large industry.