Benefits of expanding high-calorific coal on the life cycle of CO2 emissions for electricity generation in a coal power plant: Fuel transportation, combustion, air pollutant treatment, and by-product treatment

Although closure of coal-fired power plants is being pursued as a major means of reducing greenhouse gases, such plants likely will remain in operation for a long time due to international, social, and economic considerations. In addition, the international community is promoting a carbon border adjustment mechanism and mandatory climate disclosure to reduce greenhouse gases. There is emphasis for key corporate players in greenhouse gas reduction to focus on the life cycle assessment at the business site. Therefore, to achieve carbon neutrality and respond to the demands of the international community until coal is obsolete, efforts to reduce and manage greenhouse gas emissions centered on the entire life cycle are necessary. Accordingly, this paper analyzed the benefits of increasing the use of high-calorific coal for the life cycle of CO₂ emissions for electricity generation in a coal power plant. To this end, the electricity generation process is divided into four stages of fuel transportation, combustion, air pollutant treatment and by-product treatment. For each stage, the CO₂ emission intensity (kgCO₂/MWh) was analyzed in high-calorific, medium-calorific, and low-calorific coal. When high-calorific coal was expanded, CO₂ emissions decreased in the fuel transportation and combustion stages but increased in the air pollutant and by-product treatment stages. Overall, the life cycle of CO₂ emissions was shortened.