There was an interesting conversation today on the job. A man who works in the power plant business was complaining about the current president. He was talking about the shut down of the coal fired plants his employer owns. They can clean up the plants, he says, but other options are cheaper.
He surprised me a bit when he said that the emissions coming out of the coal fired plant are cleaner than the air that goes into it. Even with the carbon dioxide produced by the combustion of coal. They capture it and make useful products out of it.
Nope, the big problem now is with the ash. So, I mentioned Thorium. He never heard of it. I told him what I found out about Thorium- that the coal ash has more energy potential in it than the coal it came from. That seemed to get his attention.
I don't know if he follows up on what I told him, but I suppose it is one way to spread the word about Thorium.
Update:
He might have been talking about this, too. It sounds a lot like the same story he was telling me. Unfortunately, I don't recall the specifics.
"Clean coal" is definitely possible, but not if the environmentalists run the show.
originally posted on 7.6.16: updated 6.12.17 :
Funny how this is playing out. Just like I told the guy. That there is more energy potential in the Thorium than in the coal. But not only the Thorium, but wherever you find Thorium, you also find rare earths. It so happens that there is now an effort to mine coal ash for rare earths.
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