Burning coal more cleanly and efficiently: Faced with tougher antipollution laws and inflationary costs, electric utilities turn to advanced coal combustion technologies

In the context of tougher antipollution laws and inflationary costs for electric utilities, advanced coal combustion technologies are discussed. The new technologies promise better pollution control at lower cost than attempts to patch the old systems; they also solve the utility problem of how to add small increments of generating capacity in only a few years. The discussion emphasizes fluidized-bed combustion and coal gasification which consume hydrocarbons and remove gaseous pollutants (such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide) during the combustion process itself. Integrating emission control into the combustion or gasification process is less costly, less energy-intensive, and more efficient than removing pollutants from the flue gas. Proponents maintain that the new alternatives make better use of utility and ratepayer money.