Jharkhand

• 27 Jun 2024

India’s First Pilot Project for Underground Coal Gasification

Why in News?

The Ministry of Coal, Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) is conducting a pilot project for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) at the Kasta coal block in Jamtara District, Jharkhand.

Key Points

• It aims to revolutionise the coal industry by using in-situ coal gasification to convert it into valuable gases such as methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
  • These gases can be utilised to produce synthetic natural gas, chemical feedstocks for fuels, fertilizers, explosives, and other industrial applications.
• The Ministry of Coal is fully committed to promoting coal gasification projects, recognizing their potential to transform coal into various high-value chemical products.
  • The first phase involves creating a Technical Feasibility Report through borehole drilling and core testing. The next phase will focus on coal gasification at a pilot scale.
• The successful execution of this pilot project is expected to create transformative opportunities for India's energy sector, highlighting the sustainable and efficient use of the country's coal resources.

Coal Gasification

• Process: Coal gasification is a process in which coal is partially oxidised with air, oxygen, steam or carbon dioxide to form a fuel gas.
  • This gas is then used instead of piped natural gas, methane and others for deriving energy.
  • In-situ gasification of coal – or Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) – is the technique of converting coal into gas while it is still in the seam and then extracting it through wells.
• Production of Syngas: It produces Syngas which is a mixture consisting primarily of methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour (H2O).
  • Syngas can be used to produce a wide range of fertilizers, fuels, solvent and synthetic materials.