This Chapter of CoalOnline looks at the opportunities for, and the technology involved in, the use of coal in conjunction with other fuels: cofiring. There are a number of reasons why this may be economically attractive, principal amongst which are the availability of cheap alternative fuels, such as wood, biomass, refuse-derived fuel, solid municipal waste, plastics, natural gas or petroleum coke, and the need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in order to meet treaty obligations. The main focus of the Chapter is on the cofiring of coal with other fuels for power generation, although other coal-utilisation aspects, such as combined heat and power (cogeneration) and cement production, are also covered. Cogasification, which presents an alternative means of using other fuels with coal, either directly or indirectly, is not covered here, and reference should be made to the Chapter on Gasification fundamentals and processes or to Davidson (1997). Neither does the Chapter address any issues associated with fuels such as natural gas or oil that are used exclusively as an aid to starting-up pulverised-coal-fired boilers or in maintaining low-load operations; in these cases, the use of the alternative fuel is limited both in duration and quantity, and is not intended to provide a significant contribution to the overall thermal input to the boiler.

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