U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center
Coal to Liquids Benefits
Underground Coal Mining
Coal-to-liquids fuels can be produced domestically while creating U.S. jobs. The United States has the world's largest coal reserves; using them to produce transportation fuels would reduce U.S. reliance on imported petroleum and increase energy security. The following are additional potential benefits of coal-to-liquids fuels:
They can be used directly in today's diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles.
They are compatible with the current petroleum distribution infrastructure and would not require new or modified pipelines, storage tanks, or retail station pumps.
Tests indicate Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) diesel provides similar or better vehicle performance than conventional diesel.
Fischer-Tropsch diesel has been shown to reduce regulated exhaust emissions from a variety of diesel engines and vehicles, and the near-zero sulfur content of these fuels can enable use of advanced emission control devices. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculated the potential benefits of F-T diesel versus conventional diesel based on the inherently cleaner-burning characteristics of F-T diesel, summarized in Clean Alternative Fuels: Fischer-Tropsch (PDF 68 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
Nitrogen oxide reductions and even further reductions with the addition of emission-control catalysts
Little to no particulate emissions owing to low sulfur and aromatic content
Expected reductions in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions