We'll trust you recall our earlier dispatch converning work underway at West Virginia University, and reports made, by Stiller, Zondlo, et. al., on the liquefaction of agricultural wastes, as with coal, using the Hydrogen-donor solvent, key to the West Virginia Process of direct coal liquefaction, tetralin.
Other researchers, in China, especially, have indicated that sawdust, cellulose in general, could also be liquefied into the raw materials for liquid fuel synthesis using variations of the tetralin-based West Virginia Process.
We suggested such processes might make a suitable end to previously-loved Intel's and News-Register's.
Others among your readership might, we're certain, think tetralin dissolution to be a suitable end to them before they have had a chance to be loved.
Regardless, we have also reported on coal-to-liquid research underway at Southern Illinois University, and they, too, see both the value in using tetralin for coal liquefaction, and the potential for using it to convert cellulose, including newsprint, pre- or post-reading, into liquid fuels.
Comment follows the excerpt:
"Liquefaction of newsprint and cellulose in tetralin under moderate reaction conditions"
LALVANI S.; RAJAGOPAL P. ; AKASH B.; KOROPCHAK J.; MUCHMORE C.
Southern Illinois Univ. Carbondale, Dep. Mechanical Eng. Energy Processes, Carbondale IL 62901
Abstract
Liquefaction of newsprint and cellulose in tetralin at 350 °C and pressure of 1.07-2.51 MPa for 1 h resulted in their 37% and 40% by weight conversion to organic liquids, respectively. A significant amount of water was also formed. The gases produced consisted of mainly CH4 and CO. The total amount of gases produced was about 3-5% of the original amount of solid charged to the reactor. A first order kinetic model was proposed for the conversion of newsprint and cellulose. Rate constants and Arrhenius parameters were also calculated. Material balance for the process showed a good correlation between the carbon and oxygen contents of the reactant solid and products. Data indicate that most of the hydrogen supplied to the products is supplied by the solvent (tetralin)... ."First, note that, in addition to organic liquids and water, a small percentage of raw material was converted into Methane and Carbon Monoxide - both reactive gases which themselves can be entrained in processes of liquid hydrocarbon synthesis.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, please make note of what should be obvious: The liquefaction of newsprint and cellulose into liquid fuel represents a recycling of Carbon Dioxide. And, it is a coal-to-liquid fuel technology - WVU's West Virginia coal-to-liquid Process - that makes the CO2 recycling possible.
Theoretically, a coal-to-liquid conversion facility utilizing the West Virginia process to convert both coal and cellulose into liquid fuels could be "Carbon Neutral". By consuming enough botanically-derived cellulose, such as newsprint or sawdust, etc., in addition to coal, it might even be possible for such a dual-feed liquid fuel manufacturing facility to earn Carbon credits - which could then be sold to other emitters, such as cement kilns, to subsidize operations and increase CTL profitability.