We have documented many times that NASA has further developed and refined the 1912 Nobel-winning Sabatier technology, wherein Carbon Dioxide can be recycled into Methane, so that they can make rocket fuel from available resources in outer space. Their primary focus seems to be the planet Mars, where they intend to manufacture fuel, for return journeys to Earth, by first synthesizing Methane from the Carbon Dioxide in the Martian atmosphere, through combining it with Hydrogen extracted from water ice on the Martian surface.
Here on Earth, we have other options. If OPEC and Big Oil decide to start jacking us around for whatever petroleum-derived materials they provide for us to make jet fuel, we can, according to Penn State University, just as we can with Gasoline, start making it from Coal.
As a revealing, and somewhat saddening, but unsurprising, insight, we submit this advance excerpt from the full text:
"Since (the) 1960's coal tar pitch fractions have been successfully demonstrated to be a suitable feedstock for the production of jet fuels ..."
Penn State is careful to document that statement with references. Interested parties should follow up on those. We will be.
In any case, comment follows additional brief excerpts from the enclosed link to, and attached file of:
"Coal Tar ... As Feedstocks For ... Jet Fuel
Date: August, 1999
Authors: S. Butnark, M. Badger, H. Schobert
Affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University
Abstract: Coal tar pitch, a by-product of the metallurgical coke industry, is made up of volatile compounds (which have the) ability to be upgraded ... and ... have been shown to contribute towards high fuel stability.
It has been found that high thermal stability hydro-aromatic ... compounds are desirable components for advanced jet fuels. As a result, coal tar pitch distillates, which can be converted into those structures under hydro-treatment process, are chosen again for jet fuel production. ... (and we thus) need to protect and extend the lifetime of coal tar (availability) as a resource for advanced thermally stable jet fuel production.
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Department of Defense and Wright-Patterson Laboratory."
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Well, we would be willing to express some gratitude, as well, if our USDOD had actually taken this information, in the full decade since it's publication, and used it to help us all actually start making "advanced ... jet fuel" out of "coal tar".
Does anyone, anywhere, know of any good reason why they, why we, have not yet done so?
