http://www.afdc.energy.gov/
Believe it or not, the United States Environmental Protection Agency confirms herein what we have many times documented in other of our reports:
The conversion of Coal into liquid hydrocarbon replacements for anything we now derive from conventional, natural petroleum sources can be done efficiently, cleanly and in an environmentally-acceptable way.
And, the liquid hydrocarbon fuels made from Coal are cleaner and result in fewer harmful emissions when utilized to power internal combustion engines than their petroleum-based counterparts.
Comment follows excerpts from the link to:
"Clean Alternative Fuels: Fischer-Tropsch
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Transportation and Air Quality Transportation and Regional Programs Divisio
EPA420-F-00-036; March 2002
A Success Story (!) For the past 50 years, Fischer-Tropsch fuels have powered all of South Africa’s vehicles, from buses to trucks to taxicabs.
The fuel is primarily supplied by Sasol, a world leader in Fischer-Tropsch technologies.
Sasol’s South African facility produces more than 150,000 barrels of high quality fuel from domestic low-grade coal daily.
The popular fuel is cost-competitive with crude oil-based petroleum products in South Africa.
During the next several years, experts predict use of Fischer-Tropsch fuels will grow as a high-end blend stock in California.
For more information on the use of Fischer-Tropsch fuels in South Africa, visit: www.sasol.com.
(We're delighted the US EPA has provided you with South Africa Synthetic Oil Limited's web site. If you have followed our posts at all, you'll know that we have many times made report of their commercial success, over many decades, in converting Coal into liquid hydrocarbon fuels. See, for one example:
South Africa 100% Coal Conversion | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,251,346 - Process for Coal Liquefaction; 1981; Inventor: Leonard Dry, et. al., South Africa; Assignee: SASOL One, Proprietary, Limited, Orange Free State; Abstract: The invention provides a process for the liquefaction of coal. The comminuted coal is slurried in a solvent or pasting oil and digested ... . The solvent or pasting oil is obtained wholly or mostly by recycling from the distilled fractionation of the reaction products. ... The process can be controlled so that the coal is converted virtually completely into distillable products, more particularly predominantly in the crude diesel fuel range.")
The majority of heavy-duty vehicles on our nation’s highways today are powered by diesel fuel. This presents enormous opportunities for clean-burning diesel substitutes such as Fischer-Tropsch liquids. Although they have been used to some degree since the 1920s, Fischer-Tropsch fuels are not widely used today - - but this could change.
From Africa to South America, extensive research and development efforts are under way to commercialize the fuels for vehicle use. More auto manufacturers are viewing Fischer-Tropsch liquids as a viable way to use alternative fuels in diesel engines without compromising fuel efficiency or impacting infrastructure or refueling costs.
Fischer-Tropsch technology converts coal ... into a high-value, clean-burning fuel.
The resultant fuel is colorless, odorless, and low in toxicity. In addition, it is virtually interchangeable with conventional diesel fuels and can be blended with diesel at any ratio with little to no modification
Fischer-Tropsch fuels offer important emissions benefits compared with diesel, reducing nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter.
Currently, several oil companies are researching large-scale production of Fischer-Tropsch fuels.
At least four major companies have announced plans to build pilot plants to produce synthetically derived Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuels. Plants are currently planned for Indonesia, Africa, South America, and the United States
In addition, while many alternative fuels require completely separate distribution systems, Fischer-Tropsch fuels can use the existing fuel distribution infrastructure. This means the fuels can be transported in the same ships and pipelines as crude oil.
Actual emissions will vary with engine design; these numbers reflect the potential reductions offered by
Fischer-Tropsch liquids, relative to conventional diesel.
Emissions Characteristics:
(1) Nitrogen oxide reductions due to the higher cetane number and even further reductions with the addition
of catalysts.
(2) Little to no particulate emissions due to low sulfur and aromatic content.
(3) Expected reductions in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions.
Performance:
Based on available research, there are no significant differences in Fischer-Tropsch fuels’ performance versus petrodiesel fuels. In fact, the higher cetane number of Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel might result in improved combustion; the cetane number is a primary measure of diesel fuel quality.
In addition, many alternative fuels require major changes in vehicle engines, but Fischer-Tropsch fuels require no engine modifications.
Safety:
There are no reported safety issues with Fischer-Tropsch fuels."
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In other words, folks:
Our own United States Environmental Protection Agency, whom everyone seems to love to hate, says that, in essence, despite what Big Oil might want you to hear and in spite of the fact that the Coal Country public press seems loathe to say it: We can economically convert our abundant West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other Appalachian, and Western, Coal into "high-value, clean-burning (liquid) fuel" that is "colorless, odorless, and low in toxicity"; and, which fuel "can" not only "use the existing fuel distribution infrastructure", but, which fuel will also "require no engine modifications" in the vehicles we're getting ready to make the last payments on and hopefully keep for a while.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency says that we can, and implies that we should, start converting our abundant Coal into "Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel".
When, do you suppose, the Coal Country press, the Coal Country leadership, and the Coal Country public, will start paying a little bit of attention?
Have we all become so reflexively opposed to everything that the EPA says that we'll react with a knee jerk of repulsion to this, as well?
We do note that this EPA "Topical Report", as they call it in the full document, concerns only Diesel fuel made from Coal.
And, we urge you to keep in mind, that, as seen in:
Standard Oil 1952 Coal to Gasoline Emits No CO2 | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 2,620,348 - Hydrocarbon Synthesis with Two-Stage Coke Gasification; 1952; Assignee: Standard Oil Development Company; Abstract: The present invention relates to the catalytic reaction between carbon monoxide and hydrogen to form valuable liquid products, and more specifically to a novel process for the preparation of synthesis gas. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with improvements in the reaction based upon an improved two-stage process for preparing synthesis gas from coke or coal, and a two-stage process for reacting synthesis gas thus produced to give high yields of valuable high octane gasoline";
we can, as well, make some pretty-darned good Gasoline, in pretty much the same way, out of Coal.
And, since, as seen in:
USDOE Says Coal Liquids Meet All Petroleum Specifications | Research & Development; concerning: "Assessment of Coal Liquids as Refinery Feedstocks; 1992; U.S. Department of Energy, Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center; Abstract: The R D of direct coal liquefaction has reached such a stage that current two-stage processes can produce coal liquids with high yields and improved quality at a reasonable cost (and) coal liquids are basically similar to petroleum (and) modern refining technology is capable of processing coal liquids into transportation fuels meeting all specifications";
our United States Department of Energy, too, agrees that we can make liquid "transportation fuels" that meet "all specifications" via "coal liquefaction", maybe we all, all of us, including our Coal Country public media, need to start paying attention, to the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Department of Energy, as well as, herein, to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.