AF officials inform public, industry on coal-to-liquid fuel plant opportunity

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dillon White
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  A community meeting was held Jan. 30 and an Industry Day Jan. 31 by Air Force officials to inform both the public and national industries about the opportunity to develop a coal-to-liquid fuel plant here. 

The Air Force seeks to lease under-utilized land at Malmstrom for a private entity to construct, own and operate a coal-to-liquid, or CTL, fuel plant. The private entity would fund this project on its own without government guarantees, buyout or funding. 

CTL Plant 

A CTL fuel plant employs the Fischer-Tropsch process invented in the 1920s to turn coal into liquid fuels such as jet fuel, gasoline and diesel fuel through a gasification process. 

The plant could also produce paraffin wax and plastics. In addition to producing cleaner fuel, the plant will also generate power and capture carbon emmisions. 

This plant will support national energy goals by providing an alternative to foreign oil, and dependence on foreign oil is a possible risk to national security, said William C. Anderson, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Installations, Environment and Logistics. 

Malmstrom is a prime candidate for a CTL plant because of its location among the nation's largest coal reserves, the Missouri River and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, he said. 

Malmstrom's role

"Our job is to ensure Mr. Anderson and his team receives information concerning any potential mission impacts," said Col. Sandy Finan, 341st Space Wing commander. "Whatever we do, there will be no negative impact to our mission or quality of life of our Airmen." 

Attendees at the community meeting expressed concern about not re-opening the flightline at Malmstrom if the plant were constructed on base; however, Mr. Anderson explained, a new flying mission is not a possibility for Malmstrom. 

"There is no [air traffic control tower] or runway lights and there is not an availability of aircraft to provide a flying mission," Mr. Anderson said. 

Placing the plant on the north side of the base in order to preserve the flightline is not possible due to the negative impacts to Malmstrom's current strategic deterrent mission, he said. 

Local resources 

The CTL plant will use water from the Missouri River to produce the synthetic fuel. 

"The Missouri River flows at 3,500 million gallons of water per day," said Dr. Pete
Lapuma, Booz Allen Hamilton environmental engineer, and community meeting panelist. "The [CTL] plant would need about 10 million gallons per day." 

Current national natural gas and oil reserves are in decline including those found in Alaska, Dr. Lapuma said. These resources will be exhausted in about 10 years, he said. 

Montana has 28 percent of the nation's coal and 9 percent of the world's coal, said Bill Bronson, Great Falls city commissioner and community meeting panelist.
Coal consumed at the rate of one billion tons per year, will last 250 years, Dr. Lapuma said. 

"Fuel produced at the plant will be marginally cleaner than conventional jet fuel to begin with and will improve over time," Mr. Anderson said. "The Air Force's goal is a zero [carbon] footprint and the Air Force will not buy an alternative fuel that is not greener than petroleum fuel." 

Carbon capture and recycling 

Proponents to the plant claim the plant will emit twice as much carbon dioxide as a petroleum-based fuel; however, the carbon dioxide produced in the CTL plant will be re-captured and then sold commercially to oil companies who can utilize the gas in extraction of oil from oil wells. Following the extraction of oil, wells can be capped and sealed underground, Mr. Lapuma said. 

"It is reasonable the carbon dioxide will remain in the ground," Dr. Lapuma said. 

Carbon dioxide can also be recycled into the plant to feed a biomass stock of algae, which will then be utilized for heat production in the plant, Mr. Anderson said. 

Mercury, sulpher and nitrogen are also removed from coal prior to processing. These materials will be sold commercially for various uses including light bulbs, fertilizer and matches. 

Ash is another by-product of the CTL process that can be re-utilized in cement production. 

Synthetic jet fuel is one possible product the CTL plant will produce; however, any product to include gas, diesel, paraffin wax or plastic, would help achieve the nation's goal of energy independence, Mr. Anderson said. 

The Air Force certified the use of a mixture of JP-8, or standard petroleum jet fuel, and synthetic fuel in the B-52 Stratofortress in August 2007. This 50 percent mixture was also used by a C-17 Globemaster III during a transcontinental flight Dec. 17, 2007. The Air Force goal is to purchase 50 percent synthetic jet fuel blend for use in the continental United States by 2016.