By Dan Conti
Lexington, KY – Representatives from 20 coal producing countries are in Kentucky for a Coal Preparation Congress. Focus is on the best ways to clean coal before it is burned to generate electricity. The research follows pressure to impose stricter environmental standards on the coal industry. Rick Honaker is chairman of the University of Kentucky Department of Mining Engineering. He predicts coal will remain a power player for decades to come.
"The actual coal use is projected to increase from 41 percent to 44 percent within the next 20 years, globally, globally so when you take a look at developing countries what's the cheapest source of electricity, it's coal."
Honaker says pre-combustion cleaning technologies provide both environmental and efficiency benefits. Kentucky receives 92-percent of its electricity from coal.