Systems and methods for generating electrical power combine pressurized fluidized bed combustors (PFBC) and molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) to provide a low cost solution for electricity generation with CO.sub.2 capture. A solid fuel is introduced fuel into a pressurized fluidized bed combustor to produce steam, a first quantity of electrical power, and a flue gas including CO.sub.2. Air, natural gas, at least a portion of the steam and at least a portion of the flue gas including CO.sub.2 are introduced to a molten carbonate fuel cell to produce a second quantity of electrical power and an output stream comprising primarily CO.sub.2. The pressurized fluidized bed combustor can desirably be air-fired and the solid fuel introduced there into can desirably be in a finely pulverized form.

Is provided a method for starting up a pressurized fluidized bed incinerator system by which cracking of silica sand as a bed material can be prevented at low costs. By heating the silica sand as the bed material filled up in a bottom portion of a pressurized fluidized bed incinerator, a temperature of a freeboard of the incinerator is heated, and after the temperature of the freeboard is heated to 750 to 900 C., a material to be treated having a water-containing organic substance is fed to the pressurized fluidized bed incinerator.

A device for continually conveying dust-like or granular bulk materials into a pressure Chamber, having an inlet opening through which the bulk material is supplied or discharged from a bulk material storage, a housing which is arranged along a rotational axis, a conveying region which adjoins the inlet opening, and a shaft which rotates in the housing and which has a conveyor arranged on the circumference. The rotational axis, the housing and the shaft are arranged vertically, and a seal in the form of a regeneratable material seal stopper. The seal sealing the pressure chamber, is arranged in the conveyor region between the pressure chamber and the inlet opening. The housing has a polygon, a cannelure, or at least one helically running groove on the housing inner wall, and the orientation of the polygon, the cannelure, or the groove runs substantially perpendicularly to the two-dimensional orientation of the conveyor.