煤炭廢料變身環保建材 拜登政府投資千萬助煤業轉型

Turning coal waste from power plants into fire-resistant, strong, lightweight building materials is a project the U.S. Department of Energy is supporting, investing another $2.2 million this month as part of a wider effort on the part of the Biden administration to find ways of easing the impact of the nation’s switch from fossil fuels to clean energy on coalfield communities.

The $2.2 million is going to X-MAT Carbon Core Composites LLC, of Orlando, Florida, a division of Semplastics, located nearby. In 2013, the Advanced Materials Division of Semplastics began development of a new high performance material utilizing coal, now called X-MAT®, that the company claims “combines the most valuable properties of metals, plastics and ceramics.”

The company will continue the process of creating a building made entirely from coal-based materials – from structural columns to walls to roof tiles. “These coal-derived building materials are fire resistant, non-toxic, lightweight and durable, making them not only safer than their traditional counterparts, but easier to use and eco-friendly,” the company says on its website.

“This is coal reimagined,” said Bill Easter, founder of X-MAT and Semplastics. “We’re honored to receive this funding from the DOE to continue the revolutionary work of using coal and coal waste to bring these innovative, green building products to the marketplace.”

In total, the NETL has awarded X-MAT® and Semplastics over $13 million in grants and contracts, including a $1.4 million contract to create new uses for coal waste and a nearly $1 million contract to help fund research on utilizing coal in battery materials.

The company hopes to have a partial coal house constructed by 2023 using its proprietary roof tiles, siding panels, bricks, and blocks.

“There are so many fascinating, ecofriendly ways to use and recycle coal,” said Easter. “Our team has already reimagined coal in unique ways such as the X-TILE™, a lightweight, fireproof coal roof tile that can withstand extreme temperatures. Building a house almost entirely from coal is next on our docket. We’re very thankful to the DOE for its continued support of our work.”

Coal Waste Makes Its Mark in 3-D Printing

The Department of Energy is also investing in a project at the University of Delaware to find efficient, effective ways to use graphene particles from domestic coal wastes in 3D printing.

Professor Kun “Kelvin” Fu in mechanical engineering and Professor Feng Jiao in chemical and biomolecular engineering will spend the next three years working with students on converting coal to a carbon material, which can then be added to filaments or resins used to feed high-tech 3D printers.

Their research is funded by $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, with another $250,000 in funding from the University of Delaware.

“Right now, the Department of Energy is looking for new technologies to neutralize coal as a carbon feedstock,” Jiao said. “We cannot keep burning coal. But we can use coal as a feedstock to produce other useful substances that don’t involve a lot of harmful emissions.”

As the climate community urges countries and industries around the globe to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, there’s also the reality that industrial operations cannot be immediately shut down. That includes coal mining.

“If we convert coal to a carbon material and use it for 3D printing, that’s a way to neutralize the coal feedstock, but still keep jobs and create high-value products,” Jiao said.