(58d) Coal-Tar Chemicals from Lrc by Mild-Temperature Pyrolysis

A novel coal-to-liquids (CTL) process developed by ConvertCoal Inc., (CCI) for processing of low-rank coals was presented earlier at this conference (ref. 1). This paper presents a summary of the yields, composition and properties of the coal-tar-oil fractions recovered from the CCI mild-temperature pyrolysis process, prospective applications of sub-fractions, and data from catalytic hydrotreating to syncrude. In the novel CCI process, bituminous, sub-bituminous and lignite low-rank coals (LRC) are converted into coal-tar-oil that can be hydrotreated to syncrude oil, and high efficiency, low-emission clean-coal fuel for IGCC and PC-generating power boilers. The simultaneous production of clean coal and syncrude oil provides an economic basis for this new CTL process. The syncrude results from on-site catalytic hydrotreating of recovered coal-tar-oil in 15 - 20w% yields on a water-and-ash-free basis, indicating syncrude yields of 0.75 ? 0.95-bbl/ton of feed-coal. ConvertCoal, Inc., has recently completed the design and patent applications for a modular mild-temperature pyrolysis plant for processing 10,000-t/d Wyoming PRB coal to produce 1150-t/d coal-tar-oil and 5000-t/d low-emission coal-char fuel matching a 500-MW power plant. The coal-tar-oil hydrogenation yields 8000-bbl/d syncrude with suitable properties for petroleum oil refining. A new ?virtual oilfield resource? producing 200,000-bbl/d with predictable oil quality and defined recovery profile therefore would result from having in operation two dozen such projects corresponding to 12,000-MW generating capacity and 88-million-t/y LRC (less than 15% of annual LRC mining capacity). The capital intensiveness of the project is similar to oilfield and power projects on a barrel-per-day of oil or ton-per-day of coal basis. Current engineering studies indicate that the process can be economically attractive at current energy price levels, and it therefore could become the basis for converting the large U.S. LRC resources into equivalent oil reserves.