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White Energy - Binderless Coal Briquetting Technology for High Energy Fuel Production
White Energy Company Ltd is advancing energy solutions with its exclusive Binderless Coal Briquetting (BCB) technology, designed to transform low-value, high-moisture sub-bituminous and lignite coals into energy-efficient briquettes. This technology employs a cost-effective process of dehydration and compaction developed by a consortium led by CSIRO to improve coal quality without binders. The resultant briquette features natural coal bonding, permitting its use in existing power generation infrastructure without modification. Demonstration plants, notably in Cessnock, Australia, and a joint venture in South Africa, validate the technology's efficacy. The South African initiative highlights its economic viability, recovering significant coal from tailings, deemed otherwise wasteful. Briquettes undergo a rigorous five-step manufacturing process that encompasses preparation, drying, gas management, briquetting, and performance monitoring, enhancing efficiency and environmental compliance while meeting stringent emission regulations.
The technology, which can also be used to agglomerate coal fines, uses a low-cost process of dehydration and compaction developed by a consortia lead by the CSIRO. The binderless briquettes are held together by the natural bonding mechanisms of coal and do not require any binders that are normally used to briquette coals.
The upgraded coal is intended to be used interchangeably with other high ranking, low moisture coals and does not require any technical or engineering alterations at the power stations to allow for coal combustion. White Energy operates demonstration and pilot plants at Cessnock (NSW, Australia) as a testing and training facility.
Coal samples from mines in Australia, South Africa, North America, India and China have been processed at the Cessnock facility to test for their responsiveness to the BCB process.
Johannesburg, South Africa
In South Africa, where White Energy in conjunction with our joint venture partner, Proterra Investment Partners, has clearly demonstrated the ability to recover up to 45% saleable coal from the tailings waste stream of at least two large mine sites.
As the coal waste is available at basically zero cost, the opportunity is very promising. Our joint venture is hopeful of negotiating with at least one mine owner to access the tailings waste stream.
The BCB product can be blended back with the saleable export coal or sold separately as industrial briquettes to several local industries.
White Energy is assisting Proterra with a small BCB pilot plant in Johannesburg to facilitate trials in South Africa by providing a briquetting machine and engineering supervision. A South African coal producer has agreed to provide coal fines from one of their mines for briquetting trials at the plant. The briquetting machine was installed during the first quarter of 2024 and was commissioned during April 2024.
In addition, there are a number of benefits to power utilities arising from burning BCB Upgraded Coal with its low sulphur and low ash characteristics, as opposed to similar energy value high ash coals. These benefits include:
- Increased power output and improved heat rate;
- Enables higher capacity utilisation;
- Enables increases life expectancy of assets;
- Increased boiler efficiency;
- Improved environmental performance;
- Reduced residual waste for disposal; and
- Solution to meeting stricter environmental and emissions regulations.
Raw Coal Preparation
Coal from the mine is delivered to the BCB plant site and is deposited into a raw coal buffer storage bunker. The coal then undergoes primary, and if required, secondary crushing. In the instance of the coal being upgraded is coal fines, generally crushing is not required prior to processing.
Coal Drying
Hot gas is required to dry the raw coal and/ or coal fines. Hot gas is generated in a furnace fired on a combination of dried coal dust from the briquetting machines and dried coal from the cyclone coal surge bin. Hot gas is then exhausted from the furnace directly into the drying column. The raw coal and/ or coal fines is “flash dried” in the drying column where water in the coal is essentially evaporated off.
Solids Preparation
The coal which is transported within the drying column using the flow velocity of the heated drying gas, is then separated from the now moisture laden gas using a pneumatic cyclone.
Briquetting of Dry Coal
The briquetting process involves the transportation of dry coal product downstream of the dried coal buffer bin, feeding the material to the briquette presses, briquetting, cooling the briquette product and placing it on a stockpile. This is done as a continuous process, taking only minutes for the material to move from being a raw, high moisture, low energy coal, into low moisture, high energy briquette.
Cooling conditioning
Cooled briquettes are placed on the open-air stockpile in preparation for transport. The briquettes continue to stabilise on the stockpile where they will reach their stable or ‘equilibrium’ moisture content. BCB is produced only marginally below this equilibrium moisture, so the total moisture of the stockpiled BCB product is considered very similar to that of the customers as-received properties.