Director John Mead of the Coal Research Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale said Thursday that he is proud of the work being done by SIUC faculty members.

And he should be. With slightly more than $1 million in funds granted recently by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, a small group of faculty members are doing research projects that could aid the industry in the short and long terms.

“To me, coal is a good subject of research and exploration. It’s a tough science and research challenge. These projects represent the cutting edge of developing and furthering an energy source,” Mead said.

Researchers gathered Thursday in the SIUC Student Center to discuss their ongoing research projects and recent funding they have received from the IDCEO.

Associate Professor Ken Anderson of the Department of Geology said coal has been portrayed too often in an unsophisticated way where most people think, “You dig it up and burn it. These projects show coal as more intelligent in its use and more environmentally benign.”

It’s an abundant source that can help solve the world’s energy needs throughout the remainder of this century and cost favorable to harness. The cost to produce a ton of coal currently ranges from $6 to $10, Anderson said.

Mead said he was particularly impressed with the research work of Y.P. Chugh and his research projects directed at mine safety that can help solve some current problems within the industry.

A list of projects, their researchers and recent grant money received to fund the research were:

l Environmentally Benign Production of High Value Chemicals from Illinois Coal. Ken Anderson and John C. Crelling. $174,991.

l A Novel Photo Catalytic Process for the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol. Tomasz S. Wiltowski and Kanchan Mondal. $37,797.

l Respirable Dust control in Room-and-Pillar and Longwall Mining Operations. Y.P. Chugh and H. Gurley. $138,471.

l Development of Improved Roof Support Systems for Illinois Underground Mines. Y.P. Chugh and H. Gurley, $122,276.

l Environmental Analysis of Illinois Coal Entry into the Transportation Market. James A. Mathias and Bradley C. Paul, $38,825.

l Distribution and Mode of Occurrence of Sulfur and Trace Elements in Illinois Coal. Liliana Lefticariu. $39,986.

l Fundamental Studies of Electro-separation. A. Esmaaeli. $40,000.

l Bamboo Derived Sorbent Cartridge (BDSC) for Mercury Removal from Flue Gases and Water. Jarlen Don and Ajay Mahajan. $39,939.

l On-Site Evaluation of the MST Separator. Manoj K. Mohanty. $175,110.

l Recovery of High Grade Magnetite from Illinois Coal Fly Ash. Manoj K. Mohanty. $111,717.

l Assessment of Gas in Place and Production in Illinois CBM Reservoirs. Satya Harpalani, $154,265.

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