Even before Consol signed on with the US Department of Energy, to, along with WVU and the University of Delaware, help them figure out how to liquefy coal, under DOE Contract AC22-94PC93054, as we have lately been reporting, they had developed, again for the USDOE it seems, another coal liquefaction technology.
Consol's "Zinc Chloride" process for coal liquefaction is one which we some time ago discovered and reported, but the documentation we could find on the technology was sparse.
As it turns out, Consol had, apparently, also developed the Zinc Chloride, or, as herein, Zinc Halide, Coal Liquefaction Process with US Government support, as in this report of research they performed under DOE Contract EX-76-C-01-1743.
The excerpt, with one item highlighted for emphasis in our comments following:
"Title: Zinc halide hydrocracking process for distillate fuels from coal. Annual technical progress report, February 1, 1977--January 31, 1978
Authors: Pell, M.; Parker, W.A.; Maskew, J.T.; Zielke, C.W.; Struck, R.T.
Report Number: FE-1743-49; DOE Contract: EX-76-C-01-1743; OSTI: 6609731; 1978 Feb 20
Research Organization: Conoco Coal Development Co., Library, PA (USA). Research Div. (That would be your Consol, after Big Oil gobbled 'em up.)
Abstract: The major efforts during the year were (1) to construct a 1 TPD Process Development Unit (PDU) for conversion of coal to distillate fuels using a molten zinc chloride catalyst and (2) to explore the effects of operating variables on a 2 lb/hr continuous bench-scale unit and develop correlations predicting conversion and product yields with Montana subbituminous coal. Construction of the PDU is 88% complete, and break-in of the liquefaction sections is underway. Correlations of conversion with residence time were developed for temperatures from 385 to 427/sup 0/C (725 to 800/sup 0/F), and pressures of 16.5 and 24.1 MPa (2400 and 3500 psig). Yields per ton of MAF coal were up to 4.3 bbls gasoline and 1.0 bbl of higher boiling distillate in one pass. The raw gasoline had Research Octane Numbers of 90.6 to 92.3 and low nitrogen and sulfur. Single runs showed that other subbituminous coals and bituminous coal could be successfully converted with the process. A secondary zinc recovery step was developed to increase overall zinc recovery from 98.5-99.0 to 99.5-99.6% via fluidized bed treatment of the primary coal ash with HCl-air at 1038/sup 0/C (1900/sup 0/F). Savings of 3.5 cents/gallon of gasoline are estimated. Work continues to improve rejection of other ash metals. Attached as Appendix A are three reports which chronicled a 1975 economic study on conversion of coal extract to gasoline. Zinc chloride processing is estimated to save 8 to 16% over ebullated-bed hydrocracking, hydrotreating and reforming to make the same product."
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Did everyone copy that?
In February of 1978, our US Government was told that we could make "4.3 bbls gasoline and 1.0 bbl of higher boiling distillate in one pass" from one ton of Coal, with a "savings of 3.5 cents/gallon of gasoline" - savings over what, exactly, they don't really say, but, hey, we'll take it - in a process "estimated to save 8 to 16% over" other processes "to make the same product".
Who, among our readers, is old enough to remember the price of oil, and gasoline, in 1978?
We were crying about it then, weren't we?
Aren't we finally ready to do something about it, now?