Research Progressing on Coal-Derived Diesel, Times Reports Commercial research on producing diesel fuel from coal is showing some progress in light of high oil prices, the New York Times reported Wednesday. There are some obstacles to the technology, however, such as the fact that more carbon dioxide is produced as a byproduct from burning coal-based fuels than from petroleum-based fuels, the paper said. Illinois’ coal alone has more energy than all the oil in Saudi Arabia, and technology to turn that coal into fuel for cars, homes and factories is already proven, the Times said. Such promise has attracted entrepreneurs and government officials including U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, who want domestic substitutes for foreign oil, the paper reported. The conversion technology requires a large capital investment and a plant could be rendered useless by a collapse in oil prices, the Times said. But there was some interest in such technology even before oil prices started to spike three years ago, when many researchers and executives came to a DOE seminar on synthetic hydrocarbon liquids, the paper reported. Most of the interest is in making diesel fuel uses Fischer-Tropsch technology, started in Germany in the 1920s and used in that country during World War II. A Denver-based company, Rentech, is now preparing an updated version of that technology in East Dubuque, Ill., the Times said. By Transport Topics
http://www.logisticstoday.com/displayStory.asp?S=1&sNO=8049&MLC=Search&OASKEY=CurrentIssue Won't post as a new thread.
