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We have many times documented that Coal can be liquefied and hydrogenated, and thus transformed into a very serviceable direct replacement for liquid petroleum, by dissolving it in long-known Coal oils, or tars, such as anthracene and naphthalene, and derivatives thereof.
An advance excerpt from the enclosed US Patent further confirms that fact, as in: "suitable solvents ... are tetralin, ... anthracene, (and etc., as) may be derived from ... the destructive distillation of coal".
We note, again, that "tetralin", according to other references we have earlier provided you, is an hydrogenated version of the Coal oil, naphthalene; and, we believe it is also the solvent specified by WVU, in their "West Virginia Process" for the direct liquefaction of Coal.
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We have often made reference to WVU's "West Virginia Process" for the direct liquefaction of Coal, usually noting that their technology, as we understand it, specifies use of a solvent, "tetralin", which we have also reported as being an hydrogenated version of the primary Coal oil, Napthalene.
Herein, we submit report of how Napthalene is actually converted, and efficiently, into the hydrogenating Coal solvent, Tetralin, from Penn State University's Chunsan Song, and colleagues in Taiwan.
You will recall that we have frequently cited Dr. Song's achievements, with Penn State colleagues such as Craig Grimes, in the development of "tri-reforming" technologies, in which effluent Carbon Dioxide is reacted, recycled, with Methane to synthesize higher hydrocarbons.
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There is some interesting information, along with what should be thought-provoking, and inquiry-stimulating, implications, to be taken from the report we enclose herein.
But, the main point is this conclusion, from our own, USDOE National Energy Technology Laboratories, as excerpted from the body of the report, with no emphasis added by us:
"When the source of the feedstock is considered, coal-to-liquid fuels have a lower GHG emission profile. The GHG emissions for coal-to-liquid fuels is 5% to 12% lower than petroleum based fuels processed from many sources of import feedstocks."
In other words, if we want to lower greenhouse gas emissions by "5% to 12%", we can do so by making liquid fuels from Coal instead of from imported crude oil.
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Via separate report, we are submitting an article with the self-explanatory title: "Coal-To-Liquid Fuels Have Lower GHG Than Some Refined Fuels".
Whether Coal-derived liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels do, or do not, produce less greenhouse gas than their petroleum-based counterparts should, by now, you will understand if you have followed our posts thus far, be a moot point.
We'll presume you to have read our earlier reports of such technologies as those disclosed, for instance, in "US Patent 3,959, 094 - Synthesis of Methanol from CO2" and "US Patent 4,609,441 - Electrochemical Reduction of Aqueous CO2 to Methanol" and, thus, know that Carbon Dioxide, the most notorious of the accused greenhouse culprits, from whatever source it arises, can be productively reclaimed, and recycled into valuable hydrocarbons.
Again presuming you to have followed our reports, we are hopeful you will recall the various Carbon conversion technologies that have been developed at Southern Illinois University (SIU), especially by one of their scientists, Bakul Dave.
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We earlier reported, among others similar, "United States Patent 3,959, 094 - Synthesis of Methanol from Carbon Dioxide;", issued in 1976, by our own US Government to our own US Government, which detailed technology developed at the USDOE's Brookhaven, NY, National Laboratory, wherein Carbon Dioxide, absorbed by a water solution of Potassium Hydroxide, could be electrolyzed, and thus made to produce the liquid fuel, Methanol; and, "United States Patent 4,609,441 - Electrochemical Reduction of Aqueous Carbon Dioxide to Methanol", issued in 1986 to California scientists in the employ of Chicago's Gas Research Institute, for very similar technology.
There are, it seems, almost a multitude of ways in which Carbon Dioxide can be converted into Methanol, and knowledge of those ways isn't confined to cloistered government labs and secretive industry think tanks in the United States.
Nor, are those ways confined technically to processes involoving electrochemical reduction of Carbon Dioxide dissolved in liquid Water.
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