Oil Based from Coal

Hello, yakobus

I presume you are from the island to the West of New Zealand.

Read about the Fischer-Tropsch, also Karrick technologies here: Alternative methods

From Wikipaedia:

During the oil price increases since 2003, alternatives methods of producing oil gained importance. The most widely known alternatives involve extracting oil from sources such as oil shale or tar sands. These resources exist in large quantities; however, extracting the oil at low cost without excessively harming the environment remains a challenge.

It is also possible to chemically transform methane or coal into the various hydrocarbons found in oil. The best-known such method is the Fischer-Tropsch process. It was a concept pioneered during the 1920s in Germany to extract oil from coal and became central to Nazi Germany's war efforts when imports of petroleum were restricted due to war. It was known as Ersatz (English:"substitute") oil, and accounted for nearly half the total oil used in WWII by Germany. However, the process was used only as a last resort as naturally occurring oil was much cheaper. As crude oil prices increase, the cost of coal to oil conversion becomes comparatively cheaper. The method involves converting high ash coal into synthetic oil in a multi-stage process.^{[citation needed]}

Currently, two companies have commercialised their Fischer-Tropsch technology. Shell Oil in Bintulu, Malaysia, uses natural gas as a feedstock, and produces primarily low-sulfur diesel fuels.^[12] Sasol^[13] in South Africa uses coal as a feedstock, and produces a variety of synthetic petroleum products.

The process is today used in South Africa to produce most of the country's diesel fuel from coal by the company Sasol. The process was used in South Africa to meet its energy needs during its isolation under Apartheid. This process produces low sulfur diesel fuel but also produces large amounts of greenhouse gases.

An alternative method of converting coal into petroleum is the Karrick process, which was pioneered in the 1930s in the United States. It uses low temperatures in the absence of ambient air, to distill the short-chain hydrocarbons out of coal instead of petroleum.

Further information: Destructive distillation

More recently explored is thermal depolymerization (TDP), a process for the reduction of complex organic materials into light crude oil. Using pressure and heat, long chain polymers of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon decompose into short-chain hydrocarbons. This mimics the natural geological processes thought to be involved in the production of fossil fuels. In theory, thermal depolymerization can convert any organic waste into petroleum substitutes.

Have a good read of the above, including the linked information.

The processes are quite easy, but not cheap.

Kind Regards....

Hello Yakobus,

Both of us, seem to have a keen interest in making fuels. I would like to understand better some of the material sparky has cited too.

Have you explored perhaps a simpler way, than a chemical breakdown ? I know of it as gasification. A slow burn - causing the release of burnable methane and hydrogen.

In whatever form, Coal or Wood, it is an affordable way of providing fuel at low expense. Clean up, before use , seems to the key to long term success as the tars , will ruin a motor if allowed to pass to the pistons & valves and no matter what process you choose, you will have gunk of somekind to use or dispose of.

May I suggest some additional reading after Sparkies superior ones, that are along this other method ?

I belong to a yahoo group, that has a great deal of "how to" stuff and conversations abound on many forms of gasification. You might enjoy it. Here's the link:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/WoodGas/

I should post this as off topic but maybe it will be of help to others also.

All Our Best Wishes,

Joe Woodall, Managing Partner

Georgia Adobe LP Rammed Earth & Renewable Energy

2395 Bowman Hwy. NW

Dewy Rose, GA 30634

www.georgiaadobe.com