Find out how old UCG technology is and who created it

In recent years, rising oil prices have piqued the public’s curiosity as to whether this is the only way to fuel their cars. Considering all the technology available today, one would think that at least one oil-starved country would find an alternative way to obtain gasoline. Few people are happy with the costs and hassles of having to import oil from other countries, except perhaps the oil owners themselves. Therefore, there is much motivation to develop an alternative fuel source. What many members of the public don’t understand is that there are a lot of ideas floating around, some of which make sense. Underground Coal Gasification, or UCG, might be exactly what we need.

UCG is as natural as possible, combining our natural resources, such as coal, with smart technology. The process begins with the drilling of two wells on the surface on the coal, which is known as the coal seam. Air is pumped through the first well and the coal is ignited until it reaches extremely high temperatures. This heat creates a mixture of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and small amounts of hydrogen sulfide and methane. The oxidants are introduced through the first well, guiding this new synthesis gas, or synthesis gas, through the second well. The final step is to filter the syngas to create a clean fuel, free of impurities like carbon dioxide or sulfur.

Any problem that the UCG process may have has been resolved by its creators. For example, some environmentalists are concerned about the carbon dioxide that the UCG procedure creates. However, there is no need to worry, as the proponents of the process ensure that the substance never touches the atmosphere. This is because the UCG process creates a cavity below the surface where solid carbon once was, and since it is now empty, it is the perfect place for carbon dioxide storage. The gas is filtered before it is introduced to the surface, so a crisis can be seen simply because the process takes place underground. This probably sounds great, but one might wonder who the creators of UCG are.

The UCG idea has been around since the late 19th century, when Sir William Siemens assumed that the process could remove any waste or unusable carbon. Dmitri Mendeleyev, a Russian chemist, ran with the idea, and experiments were soon conducted in the early 1900s in the UK, under the watchful eye of Sir William Ramsay. WWI and WWII effectively shut down any further investigation with UCG, although Stalin of the USSR initiated funding during that time to experiment with the process. Although World War II delayed further investigations, by the end of it the Soviets were once again experimenting with UCG, leading to 14 underground coal gasification plants in the 1960s.

When few people understand a unique idea but see a need, they often continue to research it. However, when they don’t understand it or see the need to do so, they often ignore it or turn it off. Although scientists had made great progress with UCG in the 1960s, at the time, there was no energy crisis like the one that had occurred directly after WWII. Oil prices were low as there was plenty of it, so interest in an alternative energy source waned in Europe. However, the United States wanted his turn with UCG and worked in the 1970s and 1980s with field tests.

In 1989, the UK, Belgium and Spain decided to participate in trials that would prove or disprove the commercial viability of UCG. Despite the interest of these countries, China actually has the largest program, consisting of 16 trials. The country that played a major role in the development of UCG most recently is Australia, which boasted the successful underground gasification of 35,000 tonnes of coal between 1999 and 2003, with no environmental repercussions.

Clearly, several large countries have expressed renewed or entirely new interest in the technology behind UCG. However, the fact that some countries eventually join the interest does not make UCG a new idea. This alternative method of obtaining energy has existed for more than a hundred years, passing various tests and milestones. It is about time the rest of the world realized this unique and viable method of obtaining clean fuel.