Battelle won the most recent US Department of Energy award, which is an interesting turning point for the coal industry.
The US Department of Energy announced that the government will share the cost of research and development projects for Battelle. The project will be carried out concurrently with the Ohio Coal Development Office project. Battelle will develop a process to convert bituminous coal and some low-sulfur fuel by-products into polyurethane foam products. The expected results will confirm the commercial feasibility of using coal to make high-value solid foam products.
This value proposition is easy to understand: the current price of coal is $ 50 to $ 60 per ton. The price of polyurethane foam is 5,000 to 6,000 US dollars per ton. Currently, these foams are made from petroleum products, but coal can be converted into polyols with the same effect by heating or solvents.
Based on a 1974 study, Battelle has a patent that uses solvents to convert coal to polyols. These high-value chemicals can then be used to produce a variety of environmentally friendly foams, including building insulation.
Satya Chauhan, the scientist, business developer and principal researcher responsible for the project, said: "This captures carbon in rigid insulating foam. This is an important project that proves that we are using fossil fuels in multiple ways that are environmentally responsible And reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere. "