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High value materials from coal
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Preface
High value materials from coal Coal came to prominence as a fuel during the Industrial Revolution, and this same period saw the dawning of the potential of coal for making high value materials. The conversion of coal to a carbon, in the form of metallurgical coke for steel making, generated by-product liquids and gases. In the latter half of the ni ne t e e nt h century, these by-products, especially coal tar, became the basic raw materials for the organic chemical industry. Coal tar components were used for the industrial syntheses of dyes, perfumes, explosives, flavorings, and medicines. Interest also developed in the conversion of coal to gaseous, more convenient fuels. Gaseous fuels derived from coal carbonization and coke production were used for illumination as long ago as the late eighteenth century. By the 1930s direct and indirect liquefaction technologies became available for the substantial conversion of coals to liquid fuels and chemicals. However, the promise t hat coal once offered as the basic, and catholic feedstock for a whole range of industries has never yet come to fruition. The ready availability of petroleum and na t ural gas, the later decline of the steel making industry and increases in its efficiency, all contributed to sharpening the focus on the use of coal as a fuel, and lessening or eclipsing its use as a starting point for processes other t ha n those concerned with the production of heat and power. To illustrate this, in the US in 1991, approximately 80 percent of the coal produced was consumed by utilities. At the same time, as we continue to hear and read, petroleum and gas reserves are declining rapidly, due to high demand, and eventually they will be depleted. There is no need to look to an indeterminate future date as the starting point for coal to come into its own. In the US, coal is by far the largest indigenous fossil fuel resource. At the same time, petroleum imports account for over 50 percent of total consumption. Similar situations prevail in other industrialized nations. Consequently, there is a considerable incentive to explore the expanded use of coal as a fuel and, in so doing, develop technologies to remedy the associated environmental problems. It is also timely to begin to re-evaluate the utility of coal as a source of non-fuel products. These considerations were the driving force for arranging the symposium t hat produced the papers in this issue. In all cases, the materials in question represent low volume, high added-value products when compared to the quantities of coal consumed in conventional applications, and to its cost. The papers deal with: the synthesis of activated carbons from coal; the application of these materials as molecular sieves, and as catalysts for nitric oxide removal; a n o t h e r considers activated carbon fibers from a pitch precursors; and another, the synthesis of fullerenes from coals. As reflected in the sixth paper, an appropriate review of the development of chemicals and
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a d v a n c e d m a t e r i a l s from coals, the t e c h n i c a l topics addressed h e r e only p a r t l y i l l u s t r a t e the v e r s a t i l i t y and p o t e n t i a l uses of coal. FRANK DERBYSHIRE, HAROLD H. SCHOBERT AND JOHN M. STENCEL
Preface
High value materials from coal Coal came to prominence as a fuel during the Industrial Revolution, and this same period saw the dawning of the potential of coal for making high value materials. The conversion of coal to a carbon, in the form of metallurgical coke for steel making, generated by-product liquids and gases. In the latter half of the ni ne t e e nt h century, these by-products, especially coal tar, became the basic raw materials for the organic chemical industry. Coal tar components were used for the industrial syntheses of dyes, perfumes, explosives, flavorings, and medicines. Interest also developed in the conversion of coal to gaseous, more convenient fuels. Gaseous fuels derived from coal carbonization and coke production were used for illumination as long ago as the late eighteenth century. By the 1930s direct and indirect liquefaction technologies became available for the substantial conversion of coals to liquid fuels and chemicals. However, the promise t hat coal once offered as the basic, and catholic feedstock for a whole range of industries has never yet come to fruition. The ready availability of petroleum and na t ural gas, the later decline of the steel making industry and increases in its efficiency, all contributed to sharpening the focus on the use of coal as a fuel, and lessening or eclipsing its use as a starting point for processes other t ha n those concerned with the production of heat and power. To illustrate this, in the US in 1991, approximately 80 percent of the coal produced was consumed by utilities. At the same time, as we continue to hear and read, petroleum and gas reserves are declining rapidly, due to high demand, and eventually they will be depleted. There is no need to look to an indeterminate future date as the starting point for coal to come into its own. In the US, coal is by far the largest indigenous fossil fuel resource. At the same time, petroleum imports account for over 50 percent of total consumption. Similar situations prevail in other industrialized nations. Consequently, there is a considerable incentive to explore the expanded use of coal as a fuel and, in so doing, develop technologies to remedy the associated environmental problems. It is also timely to begin to re-evaluate the utility of coal as a source of non-fuel products. These considerations were the driving force for arranging the symposium t hat produced the papers in this issue. In all cases, the materials in question represent low volume, high added-value products when compared to the quantities of coal consumed in conventional applications, and to its cost. The papers deal with: the synthesis of activated carbons from coal; the application of these materials as molecular sieves, and as catalysts for nitric oxide removal; a n o t h e r considers activated carbon fibers from a pitch precursors; and another, the synthesis of fullerenes from coals. As reflected in the sixth paper, an appropriate review of the development of chemicals and
84
a d v a n c e d m a t e r i a l s from coals, the t e c h n i c a l topics addressed h e r e only p a r t l y i l l u s t r a t e the v e r s a t i l i t y and p o t e n t i a l uses of coal. FRANK DERBYSHIRE, HAROLD H. SCHOBERT AND JOHN M. STENCEL