State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has successfully co-fired cow manure with coal at a 10% blend ratio in a fan mill unit—marking a first for China.
Original By NLS
State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has successfully co-fired cow manure with coal at a 10% blend ratio in a fan mill unit—marking a first for China. The technical breakthrough was achieved through a joint trial by SPIC’s Energy Research Institute and its Inner Mongolia Power Division, exploring co-firing ratios ranging from 5% to 15%.
By fine-tuning key operational parameters in the pulverizing system, the team was able to stably co-grind and combust the unconventional biomass fuel, unlocking a new path to carbon reduction in thermal power generation.
This success builds on SPIC’s years of research into co-firing technologies, particularly under its Category B research initiative on “Key Carbon Reduction Technologies for Arundo Biomass Co-Firing.” Beyond lowering emissions from coal plants, the technology offers a promising solution to a long-standing problem: how to dispose of livestock waste in regions like Holingol, Inner Mongolia.
Holingol generates roughly 200,000 tons of cow manure annually, much of which lacks proper disposal channels. If fully utilized, this biomass could fuel 10% of the capacity of a 500 MW coal-fired plant—yielding an estimated RMB 13.7 million in annual carbon credit revenue. On a smaller scale, a 100 MW unit co-firing 10% biomass over 5,626 operating hours could cut CO₂ emissions by about 27,200 tons each year. At the current national carbon market rate of RMB 100 per ton, that translates to roughly RMB 2.72 million in additional income through emissions trading.
The implications are twofold: coal plants gain a cost-effective way to lower their carbon footprint and meet tightening emissions quotas, while local agricultural regions find a new outlet for organic waste. It’s a rare win-win for energy producers and the environment.