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Utilize America's Massive Coal Reserves
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 Utilizing America's Massive Coal Reserves The United States has the world's largest known coal reserves, about 267.6 billion short tons. This is enough coal to last approximately 236 years at today's level of use. About 92 percent of the coal used in the United States, is for generating electricity. Except for a small amount of net exports, the rest of the coal is used, as a basic energy source in many industries, including, steel, cement and paper. Coal to liquids is a term describing processes for converting coal into liquid fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Currently, the major coal-to-liquids production process is the Fischer-Tropsch process conversion of coal into gas and then into liquids. Several processes that convert coal directly into liquids (direct liquefaction) also exist. South Africa uses coal to provide 40 percent of its transportation fuel. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 2208 that will maximize the benefits of coal-to-liquid technologies. In 1923, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch first studied conversion of coal-derived syngas into useful compounds (diesel is one of many chemicals and fuels that can be derived from syngas), using what was to become known as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Key to the process are catalysts: substances that facilitate a chemical reaction but are not consumed by the reaction. A schematic of the overall process can be shown in three steps, with each step taking place in the presence of a specific catalyst: Syngas formation Old Hydrocarbon + Oxygen ->Syngas Fischer-Tropsch Reaction Syngas ->New Hydrocarbon + Water Refining New Hydrocarbon -> Fuels. Chemicals, etc. The benefit of the process lies in converting a relatively inflexible energy source (such as coal or biomass, "Old Hydrocarbon" in equation 1) into a variety of products that meet specific needs. Because petroleum-based transportation fuels are in high demand worldwide, F-T diesel is a valuable product. |
