Liquefaction studies of some Indonesian low rank coals

One sub-bituminous and five brown coals from South Banko and Kalimantan, Indonesia have been evaluated under a range of liquefaction conditions far the provision of liquid fuels. The coals were reacted with hydrogen using various catalysts in the presence and absence of a donor solvent, both with and without added sulfur-containing compounds. In addition, the coals have been reacted with CO/H2O in the presence and absence of an added alkali catalyst, sodium aluminate. The results confirm the effectiveness of Ni/Mo in the absence of added S, and Mo in the presence of S, as catalysts for solvent-free hydrogenation of low rank coals. The most interesting finding for the CO/H2O reactions was that Tanito Harum, a sub-bituminous coal, gave as high a conversion as any of the low rank coals. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.