What is Gasification?

Environmental Benefits of Gasification

Gasification is an environmental solution

The world is facing rapid growth in energy demand, persistently high energy prices, and a challenge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power generation and manufacturing. No single technology or resource can solve the problem, but gasification can be part of the solution along with renewable power sources such as wind and energy efficiency programs.

Gasification can enhance the U.S. and world energy portfolio while creating fewer air emissions, using less water, and generating less waste than most traditional energy technologies. Whether used for power generation, for production of substitute natural gas, or for production of a large number of energy intensive products, gasification has significant environmental benefits over conventional technologies.

Gasification provides significant environmental benefits

  • Gasification plants produce significantly lower quantities of criteria air pollutants. (See Air Emissions from Power Generation.)
  • Gasification can reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal because it can use waste products as feedstocks—generating valuable products from materials that would otherwise be disposed as wastes.
  • Gasification's byproducts are non-hazardous and are readily marketable.
  • Gasification plants use significantly less water than traditional coal-based power generation, and can be designed so they recycle their process water, discharging none into the surrounding environment.
  • Carbon dioxide (CO2) can be captured from an industrial gasification plant using commercially proven technologies. In fact, since 2000, the Great Plains Substitute Natural Gas plant in North Dakota has been capturing the same amount of CO2 as a 400 MW coal power plant would produce and sending that CO2 via pipeline to Canada for Enhanced Oil Recovery. (See Gasification for Products.)
  • Gasification offers the cleanest, most efficient means of producing electricity from coal and the lowest cost option for capturing CO2 from power generation, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.