Until now, ground brown coal or lignite has been classified as a hazardous material to transport due to its propensity to ignite spontaneously.  Such ignition can be caused simply by exposure to oxygen, or by a combination of oxygen and moisture.

When brown coal is processed with DevourX it will no longer ignite spontaneously.  The process causes a physical change to the properties of the coal which removes its ability to ignite spontaneously.  The process also substantially reduces the moisture content of the coal.

This innovative process means that for the first time, brown coal can be processed at source and transported safely in a dry form that is ready for burning.  When you consider that millions of tonnes of brown coal is transported daily from mines to power stations and other utilities, 30 to 60% of which is water, the benefits that such a process can provide to industry and the environment are immeasurable. 

To illustrate some of the benefits, we site an example of coal which has a moisture content of 35%, in which case 10 million tonnes of coal contains 3.5 million tonnes of unwanted water.  By processing at source and reducing the moisture content to 10%, some of the immediate benefits would be:

• A 25% reduction in transport costs;
• A 25% reduction in the amount of coal that is transported;
• A 25% reduction in emissions from trucks and trains used for transport;
• 25% less energy (oil) being used in coal transport;
• 25% less coal being burned at the power station;
• A 25% reduction in total emissions from the power station;
• More than 25% increase in efficiency of the power station;
• 25% less residue accumulation in the furnaces, reducing maintenance time and costs;
• Up to 100% saving on processing costs at power stations, as they would not require on-site processing capability or equipment;
• A net real reduction in the production costs of electricity.