Surreptitiously converting dead matter into oil and coal

Science News, Feb 20, 1993 by Elizabeth Pennisi

Meanwhile, the concepts that have come out of this work may have broad impact. "We started this whole quest with just an interest in oil;' Kaldor says. "But it really has paid off in a generic way in natural processing. It enables people to begin to do things they wouldn't be able to do before:'

Already, Exxon foresees the possibility of using hot water to introduce more hydrogen into coal - to make it more amenable to liquefaction and to reduce the cost of this process. Also, hot water and steam might help add hydrogen to low-quality oil deposits, improving and loosening the oil from pores in source rock so it will move easily to the surface.

Hot-water chemistry promises to aid other chemical processes as well. For example, it could increase the efficiency of the production of isopropyl alcohol by providing a way for a waste product, an ether, to be converted into more alcohol. Hot-water processing also offers ways to break down petroleum-based materials that might otherwise contaminate the environment. Even the U.S. Army has expressed interest in aqueous organic chemistry -- as a way to destroy chemical warfare agents. In other instances, the use of hot water may eliminate the need for other catalysts that prove difficult to dispose of safely "It opens up an entire area of synthetic chemistry." Goldstein says.

"We're at the stage where it's becoming more and more routine:' adds Kaldor. "My guess is that in the next few years, we'll see commercial applications."