"Heng-rui Nieha, Shu-cai Guoa, Shu-chang Zhaoa, Qi Lina and Zhi-dong Chuia
aCoal Chemical Engineering Research Division, Department of Chemical Engineering, Dalian Institute of Technology, Dalian, Liao-ning People's Republic of China"
China's where our Benwood CTL facility made off to, isn't it? - just one of China's planned 88 coal-to-liquid plants - most of the production from which will be devoted to the manufacture of chemicals and fertilizer.
Here's an excerpt:
"Abstract
A brown coal, peat and oil shale were subjected to a rapid pyrolysis process and medium-heat-value gases together with tar were collected. The char residue was of high activity and suitable for gasification to create a two-stage gasification system. The coal-tar is used for manufacturing liquid fuels and chemicals..."
Peat, again, for Pete's sake, and, oil shale. We should again take a look, as Joe once did back in the Seventies for WVU, as they're doing in Schuykill, PA, into the recoverable organic content of typical (WV) mine wastes.
And, we have documented earlier how you can make liquids from coal, and other interesting things, like cellulosic bio sources, via pyrolysis. There are other techniques, as well, that can get 'er done.