July 19, 2006—A new technology can help provide electricity from coal in an environmentally sustainable way, according to a technical report the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released recently.
The technology, known as Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), partially burns coal to generate gas. EPA examined the environmental impacts of IGCC technology as part of the agency’s continued efforts to understand how the latest available science and technology could lead to a cleaner method to generate power from coal.
The technical report found that IGCC can lower air emissions, lower water usage and produce less solid waste. The technical report also found that IGCC has the potential to provide a more cost effective approach to capture carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, produced during coal combustion.
For more information, see the EPA Web site.
