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New Frontiers in Clean and Efficient Utilization of Solid Fuel

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B2: Clean Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 6109

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Changan Wang

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Guest Editor

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
Interests: carbon capture technology; clean and efficient utilization of solid fuel; coal combustion; high-alkali coal utilization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solid fuel occupies an important position in the energy conversion and chemical industry worldwide. Although renewable energy (such as wind energy and solar energy) and gaseous energy (natural gas and hydrogen, for example) are attracting increasing attention, solid fuel still plays a dominant role in many countries, such as China and India. Solid fuel can take various forms, including coal, oil shale, biomass, petroleum coke, sludge, solid waste from the coal chemical industry, organic solid waste, and so on. The utilization of solid fuel usually generates numerous pollutants, such as NOx, SOx, PMs, heavy metals, VOCs, etc., which destroy the natural and social environment and also threaten human health. In addition, the energy conversion efficiency of solid fuel still needs to be further improved. Hence, the clean and efficient utilization of solid fuel is of great importance. The aim of this Special Issue is to receive scientific contributions in this field, stimulate and exchange ideas, present recent achievements, and explore potential issues related to solid fuel, with a special focus on improving the efficiency of energy conversion and reducing the pollutant emissions during the utilization of solid fuel. Contributions can be original research papers or review papers which have not been published and are not under consideration elsewhere.

Prof. Dr. Changan Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

Combustion/gasification/pyrolysis technologies of solid fuels
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage
Pollutant emission control
Organic solid waste
Coal and biomass

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 7159 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Study on the Homogeneous Reactions of Mercury in a 600 MW Coal-Fired Utility Boiler

by Qiang Lyu, Chang’an Wang, Xuan Liu and Defu Che

Energies 2022, 15(2), 446; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15020446 - 09 Jan 2022

Viewed by 1161

Abstract

The homogeneous oxidation of elemental mercury (Hg⁰) can promote Hg pollution control in coal-fired power plants, while the mechanisms and quantitative contributions of homogeneous reactions in Hg⁰ oxidation, especially the reactions between Hg and chlorine (Cl), are still unclear. Here, a numerical study on the homogeneous reactions of Hg was conducted within a 600 MW tangentially fired boiler for the first time. A novel Hg sub-model was established by coupling the thermodynamics, reaction kinetics and fluid dynamics. The results showed that the higher Cl content in coal was beneficial to the oxidation of Hg⁰. The homogeneous reactions of Hg mainly occurred in the vertical flue pass at low temperature. Hg⁰ was still the dominant Hg-containing species at the boiler exit, and the concentration of mercury chloride (HgCl₂) was the highest among the oxidized mercury. When low-Cl coal was fired, the addition of a small amount of chlorine species into the boiler at the burnout area increased the ratio of HgCl₂ by over 16 times without causing serious chlorine corrosion problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Clean and Efficient Utilization of Solid Fuel)

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33 pages, 33089 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geological Controls on Mineralogical Characteristic Differences of Coals from the Main Coal Fields in Shaanxi, North China

by Wei Yuan, Jing Li, Xinguo Zhuang, Guanghua Yang and Lei Pan

Energies 2021, 14(23), 7905; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14237905 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1543

Abstract

Shaanxi is among the provinces with abundant coal resources in North China. These enormous coal resources (approx. 4143 Gt) are widely distributed in the Ordos Basin and its marginal fold belts. The main coal-bearing strata consist of the late Carboniferous Taiyuan Formation, the early Permain Shanxi Formation, the late Triassic Wayaobao Formation, and the middle Jurassic Yan’an Formation, which were respectively deposited in coastal plains and a lagoon environment, a continental environment, an inland open lake and a confined lake environment. The Permo-Carboniferous coals are low volatile bituminous and characterized by relatively high vitrinite content, which decreases from south to north, and from the lower coal seams upwards. By contrast, the late Triassic and middle Jurassic coals are highly volatile bituminous, but are respectively characterized by relatively high vitrinite and high inertinite content. Minerals in the Permo-Carboniferous coals, the late Triassic coals, and the middle Jurassic coals, are respectively dominated by kaolinite and calcite, quartz and kaolinite, and quartz and calcite. Furthermore, contemporary coals deposited in different coal fields or even different mines of the same coal field present different mineral characteristics. The Permain Shanxi Formation coals from the Shanbei C-P coalfield in the north of Shaanxi Province are characterized by higher kaolinite and lower carbonate contents compared to those from the Weibei C-P coalfield in the south of Shaanxi Province. The distinctive mineralogical characteristics of coals formed in different coalfields and different geological ages were ascribed to integrated influences of different terrigenous detrital input from sediment provenance, sedimentary settings (e.g., subsidence rate, sea transgression, and regression process), and hydrothermal activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Clean and Efficient Utilization of Solid Fuel)

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Review

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22 pages, 3928 KiB

Open AccessReview

Aluminum-Based Fuels as Energy Carriers for Controllable Power and Hydrogen Generation—A Review

by Xinyue Gao, Chang’an Wang, Wengang Bai, Yujie Hou and Defu Che

Energies 2023, 16(1), 436; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16010436 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2856

Abstract

Metallic aluminum is widely used in propellants, energy-containing materials, and batteries due to its high energy density. In addition to burning in the air, aluminum can react with water to generate hydrogen. Aluminum is carbon-free and the solid-phase products can be recycled easily after the reaction. Micron aluminum powder is stable in the air and enables global trade. Aluminum metal is considered to be a viable recyclable carrier for clean energy. Based on the reaction characteristics of aluminum fuel in air and water, this work summarizes the energy conversion system of aluminum fuel, the combustion characteristics of aluminum, and the recycling of aluminum. The conversion path and application direction of electric energy and chemistry in the aluminum energy conversion system are described. The reaction properties of aluminum in the air are described, as well as the mode of activation and the effects of the aluminum-water reaction. In situ hydrogen production is achievable through the aluminum-water reaction. The development of low-carbon and energy-saving electrolytic aluminum technology is introduced. The work also analyzes the current difficulties and development directions for the large-scale application of aluminum fuel energy storage technology. The development of energy storage technology based on aluminum is conducive to transforming the energy structure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Clean and Efficient Utilization of Solid Fuel)

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