http://iic.pnl.gov/docs/coals_liquid.pdf
So far, we've only been able to provide rather dry technical papers, business-like contract reports and dusty historical archives, with some airy news releases thrown in, as documentation of the fact that Coal can be efficiently converted into the familiar and traditional liquid hydrocarbon fuels we've all come to know and love.
Herein, we see that the stodgy old USDOE went a little Madison Avenue on us, and put together a colorful and glossy promotional flyer - an attractive handout touting the reality and practicality of converting Coal into those beloved liquid fuels.
Our excerpts won't do justice to the USDOE's attractive brochure; but, here are a few:
"Exploring opportunities in coal research: The Institute for Interfacial Catalysis supports innovative coal research projects under PNNL’s Energy Conversion Initiative, including:
Tailoring of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis product distribution using monolith catalysts led by Yong Wang
Catalytic chemistry of the weak bonds in lignins and lignites led by Conrad Zhang
Improved catalysts for direct coal liquefaction led by John Linehan
Low-cost, small-scale hydrogen production and purification from natural gas led by Yong Wang
Advanced gasifier modeling led by Vladimir Korolev
Fuel chemistry relationships to fuel system wear led by Thomas Gallant
Measuring, modeling, and optimizing slag in coal gasifiers led by SK Sundaram
Real-time in-situ millimeter wave sensors for gasifiers led by SK Sundaram
Liquid fuel synthesis and reactor modeling led by David Rector
Deep desulfurization of hot coal gas led by Liyu Li
Novel carbon dioxide capture processes using organic clathrates led by Pete McGrail
Design, synthesis, and testing of novel high-temperature sorbents for removing mercury species led
by Glen Fryxell."
And:
"To produce liquid fuels from coal, we draw on our expertise in chemical and materials sciences, catalysis
and reaction engineering, process development and engineering analyses, technology assessments, sensors, and computational modeling."
All of which is directed into the study of both:
"Direct Liquefaction: Refinery Acceptable Products - By improving the catalysts used in directly converting coal into liquid hydrocarbons, without the generation of the intermediate syngas, less power could be required to produce a product suitable for upgrading in existing petroleum refineries."
And:
"Indirect Liquefaction: More Valuable Products for Less Cost - Producing diesel and other fuels from coal can be done through converting coal to syngas."
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It's all in there. And, since we US taxpayers own the brochure, and thus don't have to pay royalties or any of that nonsense for the use of it, here's a suggestion:
Why don't some interested parties - some, perhaps disparate, groups of interested people, in, say, West Virginia and Pennsylvania - pool a little money, print up a few thousand of the brochures and, then, either cheaply bulk mail them to a Coal Country mailing list, easily obtainable, or, include them as colorful Sunday edition inserts, along with the weekend magazines, TV listings and adverts, in Coal Country newspapers?
Do you suppose, then, that our elected representatives might start getting a few calls and letters, and be motivated enough thereby to more assertively pursue the USDOE's "Energy Conversion Initiative" for us?