SBIR-STTR Award

Current processes to produce liquid fuels by direct hydrogenation of coal are not cost-effective. Therefore, improved process chemistry and/or reactor design will be required to produce transportation fuels from coal at prices that are competitive with currently used fuels. This project will develop a coal liquefaction process that uses a nanoscale active catalyst precursor in a plug flow reactor system that is suitable for high rates of heat and mass transfer. Phase I will design and fabricate a three-stage plug-flow reactor system for a direct high temperature coal liquefaction process. Short term and long term testing will be conducted to examine the effect of variations in process chemistry and operating parameters on the quality and quantity of liquid fuel production.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
The three-stage plug-flow reactor system should lead to higher coal conversion with significant improvement in distillate yield and quality. Because of the low cost reactor system and higher yield of liquid distillate, it is expected that the resultant transportation fuel will have a yield higher than 70 w% at a cost less than $25/bbl. If achieved, it will have a profound impact on the energy industry, leading to less reliance on imported petroleum and the creation of energy-production jobs in the U.S.

Currently, direct-coal liquefaction processes produce limited yields of moderate-quality liquid products, which are not cost-effective compared to petroleum-based liquid fuels. This project will develop a novel catalytic process for the liquefaction of coal into liquid fuels. Phase I provided a proof-of-concept regarding the ability of the catalyst and the processing technology to produce high quality liquid fuels with high yields. Phase II will: (1) improve and optimize the catalyst system; (2) improve and optimize the reactor system developed in Phase I; and (3) study the coal liquefaction process in a mini-pilot-plant-scale processing unit, in order to demonstrate technical feasibility, collect data for a commercial design and economic feasibility study, and optimize the process to obtain high yield of high quality liquid product.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
The coal liquefaction process should enable a coal-based refinery to produce transportation fuels for less than $25 per barrel. The low cost of the reactor system and high yield of liquid fuels would make the process cost effective. If successfully implemented, the technology should have a profound impact on the energy industry, creating energy-production jobs in the United States and dramatically decreasing reliance on imported petroleum