The U.S. has large reserves of coal which are not being fully utilized as a source of fuel. Although technology for the direct conversion of coal to fuel has undergone significant development over the last 20 years, the resultant economics are still not good enough to encourage commercialization. This project will develop a low cost, high yield multiple reactor and catalyst system for exothermic reactions of hydroconversion for coal liquefaction. The two-stage coal liquefaction process will use dispersed slurry catalysts in different compound forms to improve the coal liquefaction process. In Phase I, screening studies will be conducted to determine the effects of different catalyst compound forms on coal liquefaction. Two-stage coal liquefaction experimental studies in the reactor system with the slurry catalysts will be conducted to evaluate process conversion, product yield, product quality, and hydrogen consumption.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should lead to the production of clean, high quality diesel fuel for application in transportation and utility industries. The low cost, high yield hydroconversion process also could be utilized for the commercial production of transportation fuels by coal liquefaction, and the production of chemicals and fuels from other carbonaceous feedstocks such as biomass
