UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATION IS THE CLEAN ENERGY IN THE

FUTURE?

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) involves igniting coal in the ground, then collecting and
using the gases that result from its partial combustion. Although the idea dates back over a
century, very few UCG plants have ever been built. Underground gasification could potentially
allow the use of coal that is currently uneconomical to mine. Underground gasification
eliminates the need for strip mining and transportation of coal, as well as potentially
making carbon capture and sequestration more practical.

Picture 1. Underground Coal Gasification: Underground Coal Gasification involves igniting a

coal seam underground and pumping out the partially burned gases that result.

TOLONG TRANSLATEIN YAA, MAKASIH

KELEBIHAN DAN KEKURANGAN UCG
Creedy (2001) dan Hattingh (2008) memaparkan beberapa keunggulan UCG:
1. Potensial bagi teknologi gasifikasi yang lebih bersih
2. Mengurangi dampak debu, polusi suara, dan dampak visual pada permukaan tanah
3. Konsumsi air yang lebih sedikit
4. Resiko dari polusi air permukaan lebih kecil
5. Mengurangi emisi metana
6. Tidak ada penanganan yang kotor dan tidak ada pembuangan pada daerah tambang.
7. Tidak ada pencucian batubara
8. Tidak ada penanganan abu (ash)
9. Tidak perlu terdapat stok batubara dan transportasi batubara
10. Daerah pekerjaan yang lebih kecil pada stasiun pembangkit listrik
11. Faktor kesehatan dan keselamatan lebih baik
12. Berpotensi mengurangi biaya kapital dan biaya operasi secara keseluruhan (lebih ekonomis
khususnya untuk skala yang lebih kecil)
13. Tingkat fleksibilitas untuk mengakses mineral tinggi
14. Sumber daya batubara yang dapat dimanfaatkan lebih besar
Namun Hattingh (2008) juga memaparkan beberapa kelemahan teknologi UCG, yaitu:
1. Berpotensi untuk terjadinya kontaminasi
2. Memiliki banyak variasi tekanan operasi dalam rongga reaktor bawah tanah
Beberapa aspek yang berhubungan dengan penentuan tingkat komersial dari pengembangan
teknologi UCG adalah (Creedy, 2001):
1. Variabel faktor geologi dan hubungan dengan kesulitan proses pengeboran dan biaya
2. Daya keluaran dan waktu hidup reaktor gasifier
3. Operasi produksi yang aman
4. Perspektif komersialisasi dari industri
5. Nilai strategik UCG
6. Sensitivitas lingkungan
7. Peluang pasar yang potensial, untuk industri chemical dan pembangkit energi.
Tingkat resiko UCG pada lingkungan tersebut bergantung pada seberapa besar tingkat
probabiltas terjadinya polutan dari proses UCG dan pengaruhnya terhadap lingkungan. Potensi
resiko dan dampak lingkungan dari UCG yang mungkin dapat timbul, antara lain kebocoran gas
(leakage) ke formasi di sekitar rongga, masuknya air tanah (water influx) ke rongga, pencemaran
air tanah (groundwater contamination) melalui lapisan akuifer dan terjadinya penurunan
permukaan tanah (subsidence).
 Gambar 2. Salah satu resiko yaitu Potensi kontaminasi air tanah (Burton dkk, 2007)

ISSUE HANGAT UCG

Dirty it may be, but coal is cheap.
For this simple reason, it remains the world's main source of power, providing a quarter of our
primary energy and more than 40% of our electricity. And it will continue to do so for many
years to come.
The challenge, then, is how to harness coal's energy more cleanly. While global attempts to
develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) have stalled, a number of countries are looking at
different ways to exploit their abundant coal reserves.
Not all are motivated by environmental concerns, but are driven instead by economics and a
desire for energy independence.

Opening them up to exploitation has potentially disastrous implications for CO2 emissions and
climate change, but the industry says these resources can be accessed cleanly.
The process involves pumping oxygen and steam through a small borehole into the coal seam to
produce a small and controlled combustion. Unlike coal-bed methane, therefore, the actual coal
is converted from a solid state into gas. The hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and CO2 are
then siphoned off through a second borehole.
 GAMBAR 3. Persebaran UCG

Coal production has been increasing over the past 10 years, despite calls for lower emissions and
continued research into the development of alternative energy sources. The International Energy
Association (IEA) predicts an increase in coal usage of 55% to 2030 as emerging nations
develop industrial infrastructure and the world moves from reliance on depleting supplies of oil
and gas. Coal will increasingly be used - but UCG offers, a cleaner, cheaper and safer method.
However, nearly 85% of known coal reserves are deemed un-mineable with surface mining
techniques, being too deep, too remote, and too uneconomical or of poor quality. The majority of
countries with large coal reserves have few alternative indigenous energy sources, many of the
poorest nations have low rank coals that emit noxious chemicals and low energy when
conventionally mined. It is in these regions that UCG has much to offer. So many are now
turning to UCG to fully utilize this valuable resource, which many experts believe could treble
the availability of coal suitable for UCG globally, UCG technology has less detrimental
environmental impact, as all coal stays underground there are less emissions, less surface
footprint as no surface gasifier is required and the gas is processed to remove harmful
particulates, including CO2 capture.
 Gambar 4. Graph Representations

SO, UCG IS THE ENERGY IN THE FUTURE?