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COAL
DGC CONTINUES BYPRODUCTS
DEVELOPMENT AT GREAT PLAINS PLANT
The biggest news of the past year for Dakota
Gasification Company (DGC) came in April. That
was when DGC's settlements with four pipeline
companies, as well as the United States Depart
ment of Energy (DOE), were announced (see
Pace Synthetic Fuels Report. June 1994,
page 4-8 for details).
However, the settlements must receive the ap
proval of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis
sion (FERC). The Public Service Commissions of
the States of Michigan, New York and Wisconsin
have intervened in these proceedings attempting
to convince FERC that the settlements are not in
the best interests of their
states'
Flue Gas Desulfurization Project
consumers.
A unique flue gas desulfurization system that
produces a valuable fertilizer rather than a waste
product is being installed at the synfuels plant.
The scrubber will remove sulfur dioxide from flue
gas in the plant's main stack and produce a pure,
granulated ammonium sulfate fertilizer. It will be
the first commercial application of this technol
ogy.
DGC received approval from the North Dakota
State Department of Health to use anhydrous
ammonia instead of the lime or limestone reagent
that is usually used in such systems.
The technology belongs to General Electric En
vironmental Systems Inc. DGC will receive a por
tion of any worldwide sales of additional systems
over the next 15 years.
DGC expects to have the system on line by
late 1996.
A conventional limestone system costs less ini
tially, but would have operating costs of about
$10 million a year. By purchasing a scrubber
using
anhydrous ammonia, the sale of am
monium sulfate should offset the operating cost
4-15
of the scrubber. DGC will produce about
200,000 tons of fertilizer annually.
DGC has hired a marketing firm, H.J. Baker &
Brothers of Stamford, Connecticut, to handle the
byproduct sales. Plans are to market the am
monium sulfate in the Pacific Northwest, the Mid
west and Great Lakes region, and the Canadian
Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and On
tario.
A new railroad spur was prepared to handle ship
ments of ammonium sulfate from the new scrub
ber system. A 100-foot by 200-foot storage
dome for the fertilizer also was constructed.
Upgrade for Phenol Facility
DGC approved a project last summer to upgrade
the facilities that produce phenol and cresylic
acids.
The odor related to the neutral oil content had
made marketing phenol difficult.
Work on finding the best technological process
to reduce neutral oils led to focusing on extrac
tive distillation. DGC's process is being used by
one of its customers to purify DGC's cresylic
acid. The $4.6 million project involves adding a
new recovery column for the process.
Naphthol Production
DGC continues to work on the potential produc
tion of naphthol from the tar oil stream. Initial
testing
too complex.
produced naphthol materials that were
Naphthols are used as chemical feedstock for
dyes and pigments, insecticides and phar
maceuticals.
Additional tests were scheduled to be completed
by 1994 year-end. If the second round of testing
is successful, DGC could undertake a pilot-scale,
then a commercial-scale test.
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THE SYNTHETIC FUELS REPORT, JANUARY 1995