JGC teams up with Sinar Mas to process low-rank coal into coal slurry

JGC Corp. of Japan plans to team up with Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas Group to process low-rank coal into coal water mixture (CWM) or coal slurry in Indonesia, Kontan reported on Monday.

The Japanese company plans to build a pilot plant in West Java with a capacity of 10,000 tons a year. The construction of pilot plant is expected to start in 2011 with investment of billion of yen.

If the project is feasible, the plant will be commercialized and be able to produce 1 million tons per annum (MTPA) of coal slurry.

The joint venture would use JGC technology in the processing of low-grade goal, using high pressure with temperature of up to 300 C. The coal slurry will be sold in Indonesia as fuel substitute for diesel engine and large industries.

The idea for making coal water mixture is based on assumption that liquid fuel is easier to be handled in distribution and transportation and also the advantage of difficulties in self- ignition or self-explosion.

By CWM, transportation system and coal distribution from mining location to the port or the user can be accomplished using piping system without unnecessarily constructing an expensive infrastructure in solid fuel.

CWM can be utilized as oil substitute in an existing boiler industries. The advantage of boiler using liquid of coal water mixture over solid coal is cheaper capital cost more compact in operation and easier in fuel handling.

CWM researches and studies had been conducted in several countries, such as: China, Italy, Russia, Australia and Japan. (*)