Wyoming offers grants for clean coal research

The University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources announced that it is soliciting clean coal research proposals to improve the use of the state's coal resources.

The university said the research program, administered by the governor's office, has up to $4.5 million available for academic and private industry groups.

"Wyoming can play a pivotal role as our nation moves toward a goal of less dependency on foreign sources of energy and at the same time balancing the needs of our environment," said Ron Harper, chair of the School of Energy Resources' Energy Resources Council.

"In keeping with the legislature's and the governor's vision for the future, we are seeking ways to use technology to advance the use of the state's natural resources. We have a tremendous opportunity to move forward to an environmentally-conscious energy development for the state and the nation."

The cash comes from two appropriations approved by the state legislature. During the 2008 legislative session, $3.8 million was authorized for the program, and there remains $677,519 from a previous appropriation.

The university said interested groups can request between $250,000 and $4 million, to be matched dollar for dollar by non-state funds.

The school said the research areas that qualify for funding include pre-combustion and pre-gasification, combustion and gasification design, post-combustion, post-gasification gas clean-up and advanced cycle technologies.

The university said other eligible research areas could include air separation, carbon capture and sequestration, in situ gasification, coal to liquids or coal to hydrogen technologies, and economic analyses.