The role of effective and efficient product life cycle engineering in supporting sustainable development in Africa using coal in Nigeria as a case instance

This study examined potential benefits of coal through improved and efficient technology life cycle in supporting sustainable development in most developing parts of the world. The aim of this study was to reveal various products that can be obtained from coal and its sustainability property. The need for coal to clean transportation fuel will not seize as long as the pressure on oil price remains high. In addition, the location of the world’s oil and gas resources and their availability to consumers is a major concern, and import dependency is a considerable part. Coal on the other hand offers security of supply benefits and possesses a particularly broad geographic resource distribution where it is present in more than 70 countries worldwide and currently mined in 50 of those countries. Coal users can benefit from utilising their own indigenous resources, or by accessing affordable coal in a well-established market from a wide variety of countries and suppliers. Even taking into account the costs of transformation, coal-derived fuels can provide a hedge against the volatility of oil prices and facilitate greater economic independence through the stabilisation of demands on foreign currency reserves. This study revealed that coal can produce products such as ammonia & Urea, methanol, olefin, natural gas, and dimethyl ether in commercial quantities. In addition, since, the carbon dioxide produced in the coal chemical processing is of high concentration and high pressure, it was found to be helpful in capturing and utilization of other products such as urea, acetic, potassium carbonate and underground fire extinguisher. Hence, giving priority to deploying captured carbon dioxide to the coal chemical industry and power plants for boasting electricity generation will aid economic and environmental development. These findings explore the benefit of effective and efficient product life cycle engineering in encouraging sustainable development around the globe.