What are the advancements in clean fossil fuel technology?

Advancements in clean fossil fuel technology include carbon capture and storage, improved efficiency, and gasification.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a significant advancement in clean fossil fuel technology. This process involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels, transporting it, and then storing it underground. This prevents the carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, thus reducing the impact on climate change. There are several types of CCS, including post-combustion (capturing carbon after the fossil fuel is burned), pre-combustion (removing carbon before the fuel is burned), and oxy-fuel combustion (burning the fuel in oxygen to make carbon capture easier).

Another advancement is improving the efficiency of fossil fuel power plants. By making power plants more efficient, we can get more energy from the same amount of fuel. This means less fuel is needed, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced. Techniques to improve efficiency include using supercritical and ultra-supercritical steam in coal-fired power plants, and combined cycle technology in gas-fired power plants.

Gasification is another important advancement. This process involves converting coal into a gas before it is burned. The gas, known as syngas, is cleaner than the original coal and can be used to generate electricity. The process also makes it easier to capture carbon dioxide before it is released into the atmosphere.

In addition to these, there are also advancements in the use of cleaner types of fossil fuels. For example, natural gas is a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal or oil. This means it produces less carbon dioxide when it is burned. There is also ongoing research into the use of 'clean coal', which involves treating the coal to remove impurities before it is burned.

These advancements are all aimed at reducing the environmental impact of using fossil fuels. However, it's important to remember that even with these technologies, fossil fuels are still a major source of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, while these advancements are important, they are only part of the solution to the problem of climate change.