Abstract: With advantages of high combustion efficiency，low pollution emission and convenience in storage and transportation，alcohol-based fuel，as an excellent substitute for coal，can reduce the emission in heating seasons. A coal- fired boiler took a burner special for "medium pressure atomization" alcohol-based fuel in its technological transformation. The principle of the transformation，operation modes and security measures were analysed，and six competitive clean fuels on the market were comprehensively evaluated. The results show that the annual costs of methanol heating furnaces and air source heat pumps are similar，keeping at a low level among clean heat sources. Methanol heating furnaces are of no SO2 emission and the lowest NOx emission among clean heat sources. Taking the coal-fired boiler reconstruction project of Fangezhuang Mining Branch of Kailuan Group as an example，the emission，energy consumption and economy before and after the reconstruction are analysed. After the reconstruction，the boiler energy efficiency is increased by 35 percentage points. With the same heating area of 413 000 m2，the annual emission of soot，SO2 and NOx after the reconstruction are 5， 35 and 21 t，respectively. With 5 499 t standard coal reduction in coal consumption，annual cost for desulfurization and dust removal could be saved by 1.8 million yuan，while the cost for heating might have a slight rise. If the price of methanol fuel is lower than 1 900 yuan/t，it will be of better economy. The results provide an important technical basis for the design of alcohol-based fuel burners and the transformation for small and medium-sized coal-fired boilers.

Key words: coal to alcohol-based fuel, atomizing burner, heat supply, emission, energy consumption, economy