ABSTRACT
The coal is heated either directly by combustion or indirectly by a heat source. The gasifying media are passed into intimate contact with the heated coal and reacted with carbon or other primary products of decomposition to produce desired gaseous products. Coal gasification is always performed in connection with a downstream process. Coal is the largest domestic energy source and a major source of chemicals. Synthesis gas production is the main starting point for production of a variety of chemicals. The success of the Tennessee Eastman Corporation in producing acetic anhydride from coal shows the great potential of coal as a feedstock. Synthesis gas is an important starting material for both fuels and petrochemicals. Syngas can be obtained from various sources including petroleum, natural gas, coal, and biomass. The Lurgi process was developed to manufacture town gas by complete gasification of brown coal in Germany. In 1936, the first commercial plant based on this process went operational.
