Lignite Conversion
Gasification technologies could unlock the vast potential of Southland’s multi-billion tonne lignite deposits by making them into high value products, such as clean-burning transport fuels to replace New Zealand’s diesel imports.
Why lignite conversion?
- It would reduce New Zealand’s dependence on imported oil and enhance our security of supply.
- It would allow New Zealand to make constructive, responsible use of Southland’s billions of tonnes of lignite.
- The technology is compatible with lower cost carbon capture.
- It could allow us to replace mineral diesel with a cleaner-burning, low-suplhur, low-particulate synthetic alternative.
- Besides transport fuels, this technology could transform coal into other high-value products such as fertilisers and plastics.
How it works?
When coal is exposed to oxygen and steam under intense heat and pressure, it transforms into a mixture of gases known collectively as syngas. This syngas can be further processed, via a series of controlled reactions, into a liquid fuel replacement for traditional mineral fuels such as diesel.
Transport fuels made from syngas create fewer engine emissions per kilometre travelled than diesel and petrol. That means if we can control the greenhouse gasses emitted when converting Southland lignite into transport fuel, this project could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, syngas from a lignite conversion plant can be refined into hydrogen using a shift converter. This means the plant could also provide energy for hydrogen-powered vehicles, which produce only water as a by-product, if they become widely available.
Besides diesel or hydrogen, syngas made from Southland lignite could also be developed into fertilisers to support New Zealand’s world leading food production sector.
What are we doing?
Solid Energy has secured access to 1.35 billion tonnes of Southland’s multi-billion tonne lignite resource. If we converted those 1.35 billion tonnes into transport fuel, we could power all New Zealand’s diesel vehicles for more than 50 years. Our research, which still has a long way to go, is focussing on:
- How to responsibly mine Southland’s lignite resource.
- What technologies are the most efficient for converting it into transport fuel.
- And how to efficiently manage the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the conversion process.
Please click here for an update on Southland lignite conversion.
Some of our New Energy research projects include: