The South African Coal Processing Society (SACPS) is advocating for the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to mitigate coal-related emissions. CCS is a climate change mitigation process that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas produced after burning fossil fuels. Instead of releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, it's captured using a solvent or similar medium. SACPS Chairperson Vumeka Buthelezi highlights that CCS is a viable measure to slow climate change and environmental degradation.

With CCS, CO2 can be captured and stored underground, for instance, in mine voids where it can be securely sealed to prevent its release into the atmosphere. Another possibility is using an oxygen fuel combustion process, where a fuel like coal is burned using pure oxygen or a mixture of oxygen and recirculated flue gas instead of fresh air. However, Buthelezi notes that this process hasn't been extensively explored in South Africa.

These approaches have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. Buthelezi suggests that the coal industry in South Africa should explore the capital requirements to convert coal-fired power stations into facilities that employ oxygen fuel combustion processes to produce purer CO2.

Buthelezi also recommends a wider adoption of CCS technologies to capture CO2 in water vapor at legacy coal-fired power stations, further contributing to decarbonization and degasification efforts.

She emphasizes that transitioning away from coal in South Africa is challenging due to the country's reliance on coal-fired baseload power generation. While there's a push for a just energy transition and reduced coal consumption, the practicality of rapidly replacing coal-fired power with greener alternatives is limited.

Instead, SACPS prefers a focus on more sustainable coal production methods and selective coal mining, even as high-quality coal reserves become scarcer. Many current coal deposits require extensive beneficiation due to impurities.

Buthelezi suggests that coal mines can reduce their CO2 footprint by adopting energy-efficient practices within processing plants and utilizing renewable energy for lighting in these facilities.