Thanks robin Your correct. Good black coal can be 80% carbon 20%
hydrogen. In clean burning coal the CO2 reaction is a big part of the
energy but if CO2 is chilled and sequested you loose most of that energy
and all that counts is the energy output of the hydrogen. That's why the
coal industry baulks at clean coal; its a large energy loss. If you make
Carbon fiber from gases the bonds must be broken and reformed; another
use [loss] of energy. If those bonds in coal are transformed with
minimal net energy flow then the final result: carbon fiber +hydrogen +
some hydrocarbons would be of an equal energetic value to the energy of
clean coal with the CO2 sequested in the ground and the product value
would far exceed the commodity price of the raw coal.
A lot of work needs to be done and I'm hoping for a Steorn powered car
first. At that point the coal market crashes, the energetics of carbon
fiber changes and the huge feed stock of free carbon [all that unwanted
coal] is up for grabs. ;-)
Note some coals are so poor most of the energy is wasted drying the
stuff. Its much worse for the dirty stuff the Chinese mine much of the
carbon leaves the smokestacks unburnt ash and soot. Published energy
values are often post drying. Aussy coal, being the best coal, :-P does
not need drying.
Robin van Spaandonk wrote:
In reply to Wesley Bruce's message of Sun, 18 Feb 2007 22:56:42 +1100:
Hi,
[snip]
Most of the energy in coal is in the hydrogen bonds not the
carbon to carbon bonds.
[snip]
There is very little hydrogen in coal (much more in oil), so I think you need to
prove this point Wesley. Furthermore, even in oil, more energy is derived from
the formation of CO2 than from the formation of water.
Regards,
Robin van Spaandonk
http://users.bigpond.net.au/rvanspaa/
Competition (capitalism) provides the motivation,
Cooperation (communism) provides the means.
