Development of Waste-Free and Carbon–Neutral Technology for Processing High Ash Coal in Power Plant Boilers

In the Republic of Kazakhstan, more than 300 million tons of ash are stored in dumps, containing substantial quantities of valuable metals. The aim of this work is to achieve waste-free and carbon-neutral processing of Ekibastuz coal. The innovations include: a smelter using new "ideal mixing–ideal displacement" method, lowering energy consumption by two to three times compared to current models; extraction degree exceeding 70% for germanium and zinc, and successful production of stone-cast products; a distiller based on the "counter colliding jets" method, with tenfold reduction in energy consumption, compared to a traditional one; a zinc-method for hydrogen production, reducing electricity to one-third of that required by electrolysis; carbon reduction from its dioxide by hydrogen. The analysis suggests that reaching carbon neutrality by 2060 for a boiler with a power rating of 125 MW will necessitate increasing its power output by approximately 2.58 times. A comprehensive assessment of the economic efficiency related to the processing of Ekibastuz coal, including 15% gas decarbonization, suggests that the system could realize a payback period of around eight years.