WV Coal Member Meeting 2024 1240x200 1 1

Japan Refines Coal Liquid

We submit these coal-to-liquid research selections, from Japan, only to support, and to illustrate the validity, of our thesis that coal-to-liquid conversion technologies are well-understood in many places throughout the world, and are undergoing continuous technical refinement and efficiency improvement.
 
We've edited the excerpts from the enclosed links to simplify, in as much as might be possible, the very technical jargon. What is presented should, again, just serve as added confirmation that coal can be converted into the liquid fuels and chemical raw materials we need. The question of why our abundant coal isn't yet being so utilized is one that needs answered.
 
The excerpts, with brief comment appended:
 
  
"Selective nuclear hydrogenation of naphthalene, anthracene and coal-derived oil over Ru supported on mixed oxide 
 
Takeshi Kotanigawa, Mitsuyoshi Yamamoto and Tadashi Yoshida

Hokkaido National Industrial Research Institute, AIST, MITI Higashi-tsukisamu, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062, Japan


April 1997
 

Abstract:

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the possible ways to produce high-quality products for transportation fuels from heavy distillates. For this purpose (various weight percents of Ruthenium on Manganese, Zinc and Nickel Oxides) were used as catalysts for selective hydrogenation of napthalene, anthracene and Canadian Battle River coal-derived oil. The catalysts exhibited (various levels of activity). It was concluded that Ruthenium on non-acidic support showed the best performance.
 
 
 

Behavior of Hydrogen Transfer over Carbon-Supported Nickel Catalyst in Upgrading of Coal-Derived Liquid.

BINTANG B(Hniri)   ZHANG Z-G(Hniri)   NAGAISHI H(Hniri)   YOSHIDA T(Hniri)
 
Nippon Kagakkai Hokkaido Shibu Kenkyu Happyokai Koen Yoshishu
 
Abstract
The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of hydrogen transfer over active carbon and carbon-supported nickel catalysts in the hydrotreating of coal-derived oil. In this work, the effects of donor solvent and hydrogen gas on the hydrotreating of model compounds or coal oil were examined. (author abst.)"
 
 
 
Catalysts for Upgrading Coal-Derived Oils
 
Yoshimura, T. Sato, H. Shimada, N. Matsubayashi, A. Nishijima, T. Kameoka, H. Yanase, M. Watanabe, K. Masuda, Y. Kanda, and K. Ohsuka
J. Natl. Inst. Materials and Chem. Res., Vol.3, No.2, p.145, 1995 

Abstract: Coal-derived oils were hydrotreated in two-stage catalytic processes or in single stage co-refining catalytic processes to produce high-quality oils. The former processes were much more flexible to control the quality of the final products such as gasoline and/or kerosene, depending on the reaction mode/severity of each state. In hydro-treating neat and low sulfur coal-derived oils, we developed a new type of (Nickel-Tungsten-Aluminum Oxide)  hydro-treating catalyst for the first stage use, which catalyst had higher hydrogenation and "hydrodenitrogenation" activities and better activity maintenance than the conventional (Nickel-Molybdenum-Aluminum Oxide) catalysts. A new type of  zeolite hydro-cracking catalyst, which showed high activity to convert (high temperature distillate) fraction with minimal gas make, was also developed for the second stage usage.In the latter co-refining process, where coal-derived oils were mixed with the proper fraction of petroleum oils and hydro-processed to get high-quality kerosene and/or diesel oils, (Ruthenium-Nickel-Molybdenum-Aluminum Oxide) catalysts were superior to (Nickel-Molybdenum-Aluminum Oxide) and (Nickel-Tungsten- Aluminum Oxide) catalysts. Spent Nickel-Tungsten and Nickel-Molybdenum catalysts were successfully cured by the oxidative regeneration under the low partial pressure of oxygen in the oxidizing gas and low oxidation temperature conditions."

First of all, the "heavy distillates" in the first abstract are intended to imply coal-derived oils. "Naphthalene" and "anthracene" are both constituents of crude coal "tar" or coal "oil", in the more traditional sense of those phrases.

Note, in the final abstract, mention of "processes (that) were (are) much more flexible to control the quality of the final products such as gasoline and/or kerosene"; and,.  the "high activity" of a zeolite catalyst "to convert" products from "coal-derived oils" into "high-quality kerosene and/or diesel".

Zeolite catalysts, as we hope you'll recall, are at the heart of Exxon-Mobil's "MTG"(r) process which converts methanol to gasoline; methanol that's posited to be made from coal.

Again, the technical language might seem confusing, but the import is quite clear: We know how to convert coal into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.