Arq patents new coal waste conversion technology

Previous methods for upgrading coal which relied on changing the chemical structure of coal hydrocarbons have proven to be economically unviable and environmentally damaging. The Arq Technology™ centres on mechanical processes that turn coal into micro particles and remove over 99% of the impurities.

Arq Fuels™ are so pure and small that they can be blended directly into oil products, without the need for expensive liquefaction. As a result, the process is ultra-low cost and able to ‘stretch-the-barrel’ whilst simultaneously reducing prices for customers.

Arq has been granted its first patent (9777235) for fuel oil compositions and processes. The company has several other patents pending.

Arq Fuel™ can be produced from waste discarded during the coal mining and preparation processes. The company estimates that over one billion t of coal waste are created each year, the equivalent to throwing away over five million barrels of oil per day. Arq is partnering with the world’s largest coal companies to clean up these environmental liabilities and to capture the lost energy.

Julian McIntyre, Founder and CEO of Arq, said: “Coal is the world’s most abundant, and lowest cost fuel, with more than 10 billion t of waste lying discarded in the US alone. We estimate that the energy trapped in global slurry lakes is equivalent to 70% of Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves. That gives our cutting-edge technology an extensive, environmentally-beneficial and low-cost feedstock from which we are making these valuable fuels. With technology, we can open up a bright and alternative future for the coal mining industry”.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/29112017/arq-patents-new-coal-waste-conversion-technology/