Liquefaction of coal
Enclosed herein is yet another United States Patent issued to Consol in the year 1964, confirming their invention of, as it plainly says, yet another practical technology for the: "Liquefaction of Coal".
And, in further confirmation of our earlier claims, the invention is awarded not to Consol's prolific Coal conversion genius, Everett Gorin, but, to two of his co-workers, who have been named, previously, in other of our posts, as co-inventors of Coal conversion technologies, with Gorin. Consol, obviously, had an intensive and productive Coal liquefaction research and development program underway throughout the late 1950's and into the mid-1970's.
In any case, additional comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 3,158,561 - Liquefaction of Coal
Date: November 1964
Inventors: Martin Neuworth and Leslie Heredy
Assignee: Consolidation Coal Company, Pittsburgh
Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the liquefaction of coal.
More particularly, the present invention relates to the production of coal extract from coal by reacting the coal with phenolic-boron trifluoride complex.
Coal liquefaction has been practiced for many years. The most important reason for transforming the solid coal particles into liquid form is that the liquefied coal is, in general, more amenable to chemical reactions than the solid coal, e.g., hydrogenation of coal extract to make liquid fuels such as gasoline ... .
In addition, the coal extract may be used as fuel oil ... .
It is an object of the present invention (to obtain) high yields of coal extract ... without the prior art disadvantages (of high pressures, high temperatures, and need for externally-supplied Hydrogen).
It is another object of this invention to provide a novel solvent for the liquefaction of coal.
In accordance with our invention, it has been discovered the BF3 complex ... actually chemically reacts with coal to depolymerize it, thus forming additional components which are soluble in the complex.
(Neuworth and Heredy go on to identify the various constituents of the phenolic BF3 complex, all of which, we believe, are, to begin with, actually Coal tar derivatives.)
Claims: A process for recovering high yields of liquid constituents from coal at relatively mild conditions."
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So, as our United States Government herein affirms, Consol was, nearly fifty years ago, able to recover "high yields of liquid ... from coal", using what we believe to be a Coal tar derivative as the solvent, under "relatively mild", meaning lower needed energy input, "conditions"; and, thereby, create a "coal extract" which could be hydrogenated, much as crude petroleum oil is hydrogenated in traditional refineries, "to make liquid fuels such as gasoline".
Did we miss anything? Don't forget the US Government-certified words of these Consol scientists:
"Coal liquefaction has been practiced for many years."
