§13334 Nonfuel Use of Coal

Summary

The Secretary must make a plan and run a program to research, test, and help bring to market ways to use coal for things other than fuel. The work covers making coke and other carbon products; making coal-based chemical building blocks and chemicals (including from synthesis gas); treating coal to make low-ash, low-sulfur chemical feedstocks; and recovering useful materials from coal wastes like sulfur, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and ash. The plan must study the possible processes and weigh their costs, benefits, and economic chances. It must look at producing coal products along with power or fuel, the costs of refining coal for nonfuel uses, how coal compares with other raw materials, steps to move new tech into the market, and the past, present, and future status of these coal products and methods.