As we have previously documented, and will attempt to substantiate further, the class of products traditionally known as "coal oils", which have been extracted from coal through variations of well-known coking processes long used in the steel-making industry, can serve to enhance and improve some processes of coal liquefaction. The synergistic effect of utilizing coal oil, combined with another hydrogen donor solvent, to liquefy coal is confirmed herein by recent research from Japan, who liquefied coal for their military in WWII, as has been thoroughly documented, and where they are now preparing the "NEDOL" process of coal liquefaction for commercial deployment.
The excerpt:
"Extraction of Low Rank Coals by Coal Derived Oils at 350°C for Producing Clean Fuels
Kouichi Miura, Kazuhiro Mae, et. al.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University; December, 2002
Abstract:
We have recently presented a new coal solvent extraction method that enhances the extraction yield dramatically. The method extracts coal using a flowing stream of either tetralin or 1-methylnaphthalene under 10 MPa at 200 to 400°C. The extract yield reached 65 to 80% for bituminous coals at 350°C, and the extract was almost free from mineral matters. Thus, this method was found to be effective to recover clean fuels from bituminous coals under rather mild conditions. To extend the extraction method to low rank coals and to make the method practically applicable, coal derived oils, carbol oil and creosote oil, were used in addition to tetralin in this study. Twenty kinds of coals were subjected to the extraction by tetralin and the coal derived oils at 350°C. Almost all sub-bituminous coals and brown coals examined were surprisingly extracted by 80% in the carbol oil at 350°C. It was also found that the extract was almost free from mineral matters and that most of sulfur was retained in the coal through the extraction by tetralin, whereas most of sulfur including pyritic sulfur was transferred into the soluble fraction through the extraction by the carbol oil. Thus, it was clarified that the proposed method was effective to produce a large amount of clean fuels from low rank coals under rather mild conditions."
First, these Japanese researchers affirm the effectiveness, and cleanliness, of the hydrogen donor solvent, tetralin, as specified by WVU in their "West Virginia Process" of direct coal liquefaction.
But, they have determined that by using coal derived oil, alone or in combination with tetralin, they were able to "extract", or liquefy, "surprisingly", 80 percent of brown, sub-bituminous coal, i.e., lignite, and almost 80 percent of bituminous coal.
Moreover, the coal-derived liquid was very clean, "almost free from mineral matters", and the "method was found to be effective to recover clean fuels from bituminous coals under rather mild conditions".
By "mild", a commonly-used descriptor of coal conversion technology in international reports, we take them to mean lower temperature and pressure, i.e., lower energy and, thus, lower cost.
The lowering of cost for coal liquefaction seems to have been one focus of this work, as well as developing a system that is "effective to produce a large amount of clean fuels from low rank coals".
Again, we remind you of proposals in Pennsylvania to harvest and liquefy coal mine wastes, and of the documented, potentially recoverable, carbon content of some older mine waste accumulations in West Virginia.
In any case, Japan, as herein, has developed technology that "enhances the extraction yield (of liquids from coal) dramatically"; and, that technology is "effective to recover clean fuels from bituminous coals".
Why aren't we using that technology, right now, to "recover clean fuels" from our abundant West Virginia "bituminous coals"?
Don't we need those fuels? Don't we have a lot of coal?