In a bid to reduce greenhouse emissions and make brown coal a better fuel for power generation, the Cooperative Research Centre for Clean Power from Lignite (CRC CPL) has developed a technique for dewatering the coal by heating and squeezing it, known as Mechanical Thermal Expression (MTE).
The by-product of this process is a large amount of “dirty” water which, while not exactly drinkable, could find many uses in industry. In particular, says CRC CLP chief executive Dr Peter Jackson, it could be used for power station cooling water and other in-plant requirements.
“Power stations use huge amounts of water for cooling, and our research indicates it is feasible to use recycled water from the dewatering of brown coal. This would significantly reduce the demand made by generators on local water supplies and help curb the pressure on our rivers,” he said.
Dr Jackson says the CRC plans to investigate the issue of total water balance in those regions of Australia endowed with both power stations and brown coal. Potentially this could lead to reduced demand by power stations for water from rivers and reservoirs used for drinking, farm and other industrial water.
Australia's Mining Monthly
