Shayad abh gas aajaye gi? Sindh to draft policy to produce gas from Thar coal

The Energy Department of the Sindh government is planning to draft a policy for the production of liquid gas from coal, stated the Deputy Director Sindh Coal Authority (SCA) Asif Mangi in an interview with WealkthPK.

SCA consultant Dr Farid A Malik has also said that Thar coal was declared a subject for gasification in the international laboratory of South Africa and could save up to 500 million dollars in foreign exchange annually.

As of now, Pakistan is highly dependent on imported energy resources. In terms of gas import, an energy system from Thar’s 175 billion tons of coal reserves could reduce the energy import bill by 50 percent.

Coal gasification is a process that converts solid coal into a combustible gas, composed primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by adding an oxidizing agent (air, oxygen, water vapor).

The SCA conducted a study to evaluate the probability of Thar coal for conversion to liquid and gas by sending samples of the indigenous coal to the South African Laboratory.

The study revealed that Thar coal has high tar yields of 20 percent (air dried basis) and high CO2 reactivity, which were typical of lignite coal and suitable for gasification.