University tapping into future energy sources from past

Mar 14 2008 by Karen Wilson, The Journal

SCIENTISTS in Newcastle have used their expertise to address a problem left behind following the decline of mining and lead the world in advising other countries on similar issues.

This expertise is now being applied to an exciting new development: assuring safe storage of greenhouse gases in underground voids that will in future be created by exploiting the energy in coal remotely using deep boreholes.

As the birthplace of ‘carboniferous capitalism’ Newcastle is now at the heart of addressing one of its legacies – polluted mine water which can pose severe threats to the local ecology.

Unlike most other forms of industrial pollution which ceases when production ends, mine water pollution actually intensifies after mine closure.

This happens because the pumping that has to take place in a working mine to keep the work areas free from water are no longer pumped.

As the mine void slowly floods and the water level rises, pollutants in the old workings are gradually submerged and dissolved. When the flooded mine finally overspills at the surface, the water is often far more contaminated than when the mine was operational.

Newcastle University has developed an internationally- recognised expertise in this area, under the leadership of Professor Paul Younger, professor of the Sir Joseph Swan Institute for Energy Research and theme leader of the Energy and Environment theme of Newcastle Science City.

Research has embraced two related areas of activity: the use of novel, ecological methods for removing high loads of acidity and toxic metals from the mine water, and predicting the movement and chemical evolution of water moving through mined ground over distances ranging from hundreds of metres to tens of kilometres.

Professor Younger said: “The award-winning work in this area has taken place over 15 years now, and is still continuing vigorously. The exciting challenges we are now beginning to work on involve applying what we have learned from assessing the pollution risks associated with coalfield abandonment to an entirely new approach to tapping the energy in coal without further damaging the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. Using our mining knowledge and mathematical modelling tools, we are now designing methods for gasifying coal below the depths of historical mining, creating voids in which the carbon dioxide produced from the coal can be safely stored forever.

“As a world-leading centre of expertise in the risk assessment of water and gas movement in coalfields, we are now taking the initiative in the environmental risk assessment of this important new approach to energy use in the future – which we believe will be vital if we are to survive the demise of oil and gas and arrive at a future based on full deployment of renewable energy resources.

“Newcastle Science City is already leading the way and as one of four key science themes, Energy and Environment is rightly placed at the top of the agenda where we can deliver significant change and benefits for the city, region and internationally as well.”