Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Resources and utilization of Texas lignite. Project N/T-2, final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7275303

The potential for producing gas and liquid products from Texas lignite and Wyoming coal to replace the oil and gas usage is assessed. Texas lignite can become a major source of energy for the State. Texas lignite is estimated at 10 to 20 billion tons at strip mining depth. This is 10 times the Btu equivalent of Texas' proven reserves of oil and gas. One-hundred billion tons of deep basin resources, lying between 200 and 5000 feet, have been identified. Six lignite-fired plants have been announced or are in operation and these will consume 25 to 30 million tons of lignite per year by 1980. If the electrical utility consumption in Texas were fixed at 1974 levels, 10 billion tons of lignite would provide all of the fuel needed to run the State's electrical generating plants for 100 years. The economics and feasibility of using coal or lignite by direct combustion, carbonization, gasification, of liquefaction are discussed. Environmental aspects of utilizing Texas lignite or Wyoming coal for direct combustion or in-situ gasification, gasification, or liquefaction are described. Major research that should be undertaken by the State of Texas are recommended and include a systems analysis of the utilization of Wyoming coal and Texas lignite, extent and geology of Texas lignite, in-situ lignite gasification, direct utilization of lignite (including sulfur removal), conventional synthetic fuel gasification, and methanation and chemical processing of low-Btu gas. (MCW)

Research Organization:
Texas Univ., Austin (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Houston Univ., Tex. (USA)
OSTI ID:
7275303
Report Number(s):
NSF-RA-N-74-247
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English