A Life Cycle Analysis of Deploying Coking Technology to Utilize Low-Rank Coal in China

Yan Li, Guoshun Wang, Zhaohao Li, Jiahai Yuan, Dan Gao and Heng Zhang
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Yan Li: School of Business, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Guoshun Wang: School of Business, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Zhaohao Li: School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Jiahai Yuan: School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Dan Gao: School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Heng Zhang: School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: At present, the excess capacity in China’s coke industry can be deployed to utilize some low-rank coal, replacing coking coal with potential economic gains, energy efficiency, and environmental benefits. This study presents a life cycle analysis to model these potential benefits by comparing a metallurgical coke technical pathway with technical pathways of gasification coke integrated with different chemical productions. The results show that producing gasification coke is a feasible technical pathway for the transformation and development of the coke industry. However, its economic feasibility depends on the price of cokes and coals. The gasification coke production has higher energy consumption and CO 2 emissions because of its lower coke yield. Generally speaking, using gasification coke to produce F-T oils has higher economic benefits than producing methanol, but has lower energy efficiency and higher carbon emissions.

Keywords: coal coking; life cycle analysis; gasification coke; metallurgical coke; low-rank coal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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