Coal to liquid (CTL) is a fuel oil produced through chemical processing using coal as raw material and is also a technology for producing petrochemical products. It including two technical methods: Direct coal liquefaction and Indirect coal liquefaction.
Direct coal liquefaction refers to the synthesis of liquid hydrocarbon fuels by first crushing coal and then directly liquefying it through catalytic hydrogenation reaction under high temperature and high pressure conditions. After refining, petroleum products such as diesel and gasoline can be obtained.
Indirect coal liquefaction refers to the process of first converting coal into synthesis gas (CO+H2), which is then purified by desulfurization, nitrogen, and oxygen. The H2/CO ratio is adjusted to an appropriate value through a water gas reaction, and then the Fischer Tropsch process is used to catalyze the reaction and synthesize liquid fuel.
Due to the shortage of petroleum resources, rich coal resources and the enhancement of people's awareness of environmental protection. CTL, as clean fuel converted from coal, has been paid more and more attention and can be produced cheaply and in large quantities. At present, it is gradually applied in the field of automobile and power generation.