German hard coal conversion projects

Rapid development and commercialization of coal-conversion technologies are challenges which must be met by government and industry. Almost 500 x 10/sup 6/ dollars have been made available since 1974 for the construction of pilot plants. The status of coal gasification and coal liquefaction technologies are reviewed. The economy of coal conversion is controlled by the price of coal and the capital investment required. Commercialization depends upon the cost of competitive sources of energy. A doubling of the cost of coal would affect the production of coal-conversion products by 50%, thereby stabilizing prices when they are compared with the cost of petroleum and natural gas. Production of gas and oil from coal should become economically feasible and should reach large-scale application around 1990. 7 figures, 2 tables. (F.R.)