As many people know, China has a rich tradition of annual celebrations, which they immerse themselves in and enjoy with great fervor.
We have some of our own traditional yearly celebrations, as well, of course, like Christmas and the Fourth of July; and, many of us are aware of some of China's annual festivals, like the famed Chinese New Year.
Less well-known, though, are such things as their nearly-ancient "Mid-Autumn" and "Dragon Boat" holidays.
Even less well-known is their relatively new annual celebration, held to honor something very real that not many people in the United States of America are even aware of; and, which, to many Americans, might sound as exotic and mythical as "Dragon Boat":
Coal Liquefaction, the conversion of Coal into Gasoline, Diesel and Alcohol.
We first alerted you China's annual "World Coal To Liquids" conference a few years ago; and, the Chinese are now making ready to celebrate it again this coming April.
If you wonder why the Chinese honor Coal Liquefaction, keep in mind, that, as seen in:
China Makes "Huge Profits" from Coal Liquefaction | Research & Development; wherein it's related: "China Coal Producer Reaps Huge Profits From CTL Project; Shenhua Group, China's largest coal producer, has made huge profits from its pilot coal-to-liquid (CTL) project in north China in the first three months of this year, a company executive said";
it actually makes 'em a buck or two; and, maybe we poor folk in the Appalachian heart of United States Coal Country should be paying a little attention to what China has to say about it all.
As excerpted from the initial link in this dispatch, following, with comment appended, are excerpts and additional links which should give you some idea of what Coal Liquefaction festivities China has planned:
Home: "The World CTL 2012 Conference takes place on April 17-20, 2012 in China, featuring two World Best: The reference gathering of Coal Conversion experts and managers on April 17-19 in Beijing (and) the visit to the World’s Largest Coal-To-Olefins Plant on April 20 in Baotou (Inner Mongolia).
http://www.world-ctl.com/
April 17, 2012 - Technology Workshops
Chair: Per Bakkerud, Managing Director, Haldor Topsoe, China
Welcome Address: Serge Perineau, President, World CTL Conference
Gasification:
- Fixed Bed Dry Bottom Gasification - New Developments and Projects Update; Stephan Schwinghammer, Manager Solution Development & Porposals, Coal-to-Gas ProductLine, Air Liquide / Lurgi, Germany
- Preparing Gasifier Feedstocks from Sub-Bituminous Coals and Lignite; Dilo Paul, Senior Scientist, Clean Coal Technology, USA
- Innovation in Gas Treatment; Air Products
Syngas To products:
- Syngas To Methanol; Philip Eastland, Vice President, Davy Process Technology, United Kingdom
- Methanol To Gasoline; Mitch Hindman, ExxonMobil, USA
- Update of Fischer-Tropsch Innovation; Yang Yong, Deputy Director, Synfuels China, Chin
Direct and Hybrid Coal Liquefaction:
- Coal-Biomass Direct Liquefaction; Richard Bauman, Vice President of Technology, Accelergy, USA
(Speaking of "Coal-Biomass" co-liquefaction, they plan to get the "Biomass", as seen in:
China Coal Conversion Plant Recycle CO2 | Research & Development; concerning: "China Coal-to-Liquid Plant Will Use Algae-based CO2 Capture; 2011; A partnership in China that will bring together a Houston-based coal-to-liquids company and a major Chinese coal and construction firm will utilize a CO2 capture system powered by algae. Accelergy Corporation will provide the Yankuang Group with its trademarked TerraSync terrestrial sequestration system to capture carbon from the future facility in Erdos, an area in China’s Inner Mongolia Province. Along with the TerraSync system, Accelergy will also create a hybrid configuration of a microcatalytic coal liquefaction system in conjunction with a Fischer Tropsch system provided by Yankuang. The algae-based carbon system captures the CO2 produced from the CTL process and then passes the carbon to a series of photobioreactors that grow concentrated algae strains sourced from the region. When the algae growth cycle is complete, the algae is harvested and blended with other additives (proprietary) and used as a fertilizer. Accelergy states that for every ton of CO2 removed in the TerraSync process, many more tons are removed from the atmosphere due to the initial capture and use of the gas"; by biologically recycling any Carbon Dioxide that might be emitted by the Coal conversion process.)
- New Developments in Direct Coal Liquefaction; Christian Hecka, General Manager, H-Tec, Germany (and)Hans Plantenga, Chief Scientist, Albemarle, Netherlands
- Benefits for Coal and Oil Co-Processing; John Duddy, Technology Manager, Axens, USA
Non-Conventional Technologies
- Molten Salt Catalyzed Gasification; Lyman Frost, Chief Technology Officer, Western Hydrogen, Canada
Keynote Addresses
- The Coal Industry Perspective; Fredrick Palmer, Senior Vice President, Peabody Energy, USA
- Shenhua Strategy in Coal Conversion; Wu Xiuzhang, Chairman, Shenhua Coal To Liquid & Chemical, China
Experience and Projects:
- Yitai CTL Operation and Results; Jiang Jiansheng, Deputy General Manager, Inner Mongolia Yitai, China
- Jindal Project; Jona Pillay, Executive Director, Coal-To-Liquids, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd, India
- Baotou Coal To Olefins Operation; Shenhua Coal To Liquid & Chemical, China
- Coke Oven Gas To Substitute Natural Gas; Soren Enevoldsen, Haldor Topsoe, Denmark
- Sasolburg and Secunda Operations; Xu Hailong, President, Sasol China, China
- Commercial Demonstration Enabling New CTL Developments; Synthesis Energy Systems, USA
- Water Optimization in Coal Conversion Complexes; Philippe Valerio, Veolia Water, France
World CTL Award Ceremony
Industry Tour to Baotou (Inner Mongolia, and) Visit of Shenhua’s Coal To Olefins Plant"
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Now, oddly, we didn't see mention, in the full agenda, of any United States Government representatives to be in attendance at China's "World Coal To Liquids 2012 Conference", even though, not that long ago, as in:
China Awarded 2010 US Liquefaction Patent | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 7,763,167 - Process for Direct Coal Liquefaction; 2010; Shenua Coal Liquefaction Corporation, Beijing; Abstract: Process for direct coal liquefaction of coal, including: ... fractionating hydrogenation products into oil products and a hydrogen donor recycling solvent";
some of good ole Uncle Sam's expert employees did confirm, that, by golly, China does know how to convert abundant Coal into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Some major United States Corporations that are involved in China's Coal conversion industry, such as General Electric, as seen in:
GE Converts China Coal to Methanol | Research & Development; concerning: "One of the World’s Largest Coal-to-Olefins Gasification Units Starts Up in China; (One) of the world’s largest coal-to-olefins projects successfully started up at the China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Co. Ltd.’s project in Baotou, Inner Mongolia (Shenhua Baotou Coal to Olefins project). The gasification unit uses advanced coal gasification technology provided by GE (NYSE:GE). The gasification technology converts coal into a synthesis gas (or syngas). Syngas can then be used to produce methanol";
don't seem to be in obvious attendance, either.
Another group of folks we didn't discover to be represented at the World Coal To Liquid Conference is the United States Coal Country press corps.
"World CTL" is three months away. There's still time to get your passports and reserve discount airfare.