Coke & coal industry

Coal emissions are at an all-time high¹.  

But there’s another side to the story. Coal has the potential to be converted into clean fuel and an alternative feedstock for many chemicals.  

Let’s build a cleaner future for coal. 

Topsoe and the coke and coal industry

Coal is an abundant natural resource. It’s currently the largest energy source for electricity generation, steelmaking and cement production. And it’s also the largest source of CO₂ emissions from human activity: around 41% of the world’s fossil fuel carbon emissions come from burning it. Other emissions include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and methane. 

How can the coal industry reduce those emissions? We at Topsoe have the solutions and technologies to help. In recent years, we have made quantum leaps in the upgrading of coal and processing of waste products from coke ovens into higher value products and cleaner energy. Our solutions not only make it feasible, but also economically attractive, to process these feedstocks directly at source into SNG, gasoline or other high value products rather than transporting them to be processed closer to market.  

Thermal power plants and nations alike are also turning to co-firing alternatives to reduce emissions, and the market for co-firing ammonia or blue hydrogen (also commonly referred to as ‘low-carbon hydrogen’) is rapidly increasing. Blue ammonia (also commonly referred to as ‘low-carbon ammonia’) is ready to clean up coal-fired power plants as the world switches to low-carbon electricity. 

Addressing your needs

Our coal tar processing technology offers the possibility of on-site tar upgrading from coke ovens and coal gasifiers to high-quality, low-sulfur diesel, naphtha, and lube oil base. The process can accommodate the wide property variations observed for coal tar due to the origin of the coal or the specific coking process and ensure a flexible and profitable solution. 

Using autothermal reforming technology, coal can be transformed into syngas, which can then be used to produce fuels, chemicals and power. Our SynCOR™ autothermal reforming technology is the preferred choice in many of today’s world-scale projects, maximizing single-line capacity while significantly reducing capital and operating costs, with lower emissions. It’s ideal for use in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) setups, removing CO₂ directly from the synthesis gas stream at high pressure, paving the way to 95+% capture rates. 

The low-carbon hydrogen produced by autothermal reforming and carbon capture can be used in its pure form not only for the production of chemicals and fuels, but also as a fuel substitute in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as the cement, steel, refining and petrochemical industries. 

¹https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-global-co2-emissions-will-reach-new-high-in-2024-despite-slower-growth/#:~:text=Carbon%20dioxide%20(CO2)%20emissions%20from%20fossil%20fuels,Budget%20report%20by%20the%20Global%20Carbon%20Project

²https://globalcarbonbudget.org/fossil-fuel-co2-emissions-increase-again-in-2024/