Editor's comment

摘要

Darwin's theory of evolution promotes the idea of survival of the fittest,that life in its many and varied forms either evolves or faces extinction.If you apply the same theory to the coal industry it is clear that a long and healthy life lies ahead.From modernising boilers in coal-fired plants to CO_2 sequestration,the traditional use of coal in energy generation has been given a makeover,bringing it up to speed as a low-cost,low-emission competitive fuel for the 21st century.On their own these changes in practice have helped guarantee a strong future for coal,but the uses of coal do not begin and end with the coal-fired plant.Recently authorities and companies have been giving more focus to,and budgeting more resources for,coal-to-liquids (CTL) and coal-to-chemicals (CTC) technology.