"Abstract
Steam cracking in the presence of haematite catalyst was used for the upgrading of coal hydrogenation liquids with b.p. < 350°C. The degree of conversion to light hydrocarbon fractions was influenced by the process temperature and reached 50 wt% at 470°C. The study of transformation of individual compounds (tetralin, 1-naphthol, 1,2-dimethylnaphthalene) under the conditions of the upgrading process indicated that light distillate fractions are produced from heavy coal liquids mainly through dealkylation and hydrogenation of aromatic rings, with subsequent cracking of hydrogenated compounds."
Please refer to the authors' list, especially their institutional affiliations.
And, note this: they are not talking about how to get liquids from coal. For them, it's a given - it's done and is being done.
They are studying how to further process coal liquids into simpler, more useful substances.
It's the Rooskies, Mike!!! Dag nab it! - Italians, Chinese, Indians (both the Native American and Sub-continental varieties), South Africans and, now, the Rooskies! And, they're doing it in Siberia! And we Mountaineers can't get git 'er done? In the heart of the USA?
West Virginians have a right to know.