Approach and potential of replacing oil and natural gas with coal in China

China’s fossil energy is characterized by an abundance of coal and a relative lack of oil and natural gas.Developing a strategy in which coal can replace oil and natural gas is,therefore,a necessary and practical approach to easing the excessive external dependence on oil and natural gas.Based on the perspective of energy security,this paper proposes a technical framework for defining the substitution of oil and natural gas with coal in China.In this framework,three substitution classifications and 11 industrialized technical routes are reviewed.Then,three scenarios(namely,the cautious scenario,baseline scenario,and positive scenario)are developed to estimate the potential of this strategy for 2020 and 2030.The results indicate that oil and natural gas replaced by coal will reach 67 to 81 Mt and 8.7 to 14.3 Gm^3 in 2020 and reach 93 to 138 Mt and 32.3 to 47.3 Gm^3 in 2030,respectively.By implementing this strategy,China’s external dependence on oil,natural gas,and primary energy is expected to be curbed at approximately 70%,40%,and 20%by 2030,respectively.This paper also demonstrates how coal,as a substitute for oil and natural gas,can contribute to carbon and pollution reduction and economic cost savings.It suggests a new direction for the development of the global coal industry and provides a crucial reference for energy transformation in China and other countries with similar energy situations.

Coal measure metallogeny:Metallogenic system and implication for resource and environment

Coal,coal measure gas,coal conversion to oil and gas,and coal-based new materials are reliable guarantees for stable energy supply and economic and social development in China.The coal-dominated resource endowment and the economic and social development stage determine the irreplaceable position of coal resources in the energy system.Coal measure resources,including aggregated or dispersed solids,liquid and gaseous multitype energies,and metal as well as nonmetallic minerals,are the products of multisphere interaction and metallogenetic materials generation,migration,and accumulation.Coal measures record rich deep-time geological information of transitional and terrestrial peat bogs,which is a crucial carrier to reveal ecosystem evolution,significant organic carbon sequestration,atmospheric O_(2)/CO_(2)variation,and wildfire events.Coal measure evolution is accompanied by the migration and transformation of various materials during diagenesis-metamorphism,forming differentiated coal compositions besides properties and various mineral resources in its adjacent strata.The enrichment condition,occurrence state,and separation potential are the premise for level-by-level use and efficient development of coal measure resources.Coal measure metallogeny is based on the metallogenic system of multiple energy and mineral resources in coal measures and their environmental effects.Fully understanding coal measure metallogeny is beneficial for promoting the coal transition from fuel to raw materials and strengthening its attribute of multiple mineral resources.The metallogeny comprises various aspects,including:(1)the symbiosis mechanism,co-exploration and co-mining conditions of various resources;(2)the source-sink system of ore-forming materials;(3)the differential carbon accumulation and hydrogen enrichment effect;(4)organic(coal and hydrocarbon)and inorganic(mineral)interactions;and(5)combination of minerals naturally enrichment during the metallogenic process and artificial enrichment during the ore processing process.The coal measure metallogeny belongs to the geoscience disciplines,and studies the types,formation,distribution,enrichment mechanisms,evaluation methods,and development strategies of resources related to coal measures.The key scientific problems include geological records related to mineral enrichment processes,metallogenic mechanisms,resource distribution,occurrence evaluation,and accurate development.Developing coal measure metallogeny is significant in improving the critical mineral metallogenic theory,revealing various deep-time earth systems and realizing the national energy transformation and high-quality development.