Hydrogenation process for solid carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

A method of hydrogenating solid carbonaceous fuels that contain unsaturated carbon to carbn bonds, the carbonaceous materials are selected from coal, lignite, wood, lignin, oil shale, tar sand, peat, and solid petroleum residuals comprising providing an organic solution containing a nickel Zeigler catalyst prepared from a nickel carboxylate reacted with an alkyl aluminum in an anhydrous, organic solvent to provide a homogeneous catalytic solution; treating the catalytic solution with a source of hydrogen to form a hydrogen-containing complex with the transition metal; and contacting the solid carbonaceous material with the catalytic solution to hydrogenate the unsaturated carbon bonds.

Claim 2

A method of hydrogenating solid carbonaceous fuels that contain unsaturated carbon to carbn bonds, the carbonaceous materials are selected from coal, lignite, wood, lignin, oil shale, tar sand, peat, and solid petroleum residuals comprising providing an organic solution containing a nickel Zeigler catalyst prepared from a nickel carboxylate reacted with an alkyl aluminum in an anhydrous, organic solvent to provide a homogeneous catalytic solution; treating the catalytic solution with a source of hydrogen to form a hydrogen-containing complex with the transition metal; and contacting the solid carbonaceous material with the catalytic solution to hydrogenate the unsaturated carbon bonds.

Claim 5

The method of claim wherein the hydrogenated, solid, carbonaceous material is separated from the catalytic solution by a liquid-solid separation.

Claim 10

A method of converting solid carbonaceous material, that includes unsaturated carbon to carbon bonds, selected from coal, lignite, wood, lignin, oil shale, tar sand, peat and solid petroleum residuals to liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels comprising: contacting said solid carbonaceous material with a liquid catalytic solution in the presence of a source of hydrogen at a first temperature below 350° C. to hydrogenate unsaturated carbon bonds within the solid carbonaceous material, said catalytic solution including an organic solvent and a complex compound selected from the group consisting of the carbonyls, hydrocarbonyls and Ziegler-type catalytic compounds of the group VIII transition metals; separating said liquid catalytic solution from said hydrogenated, solid carbonaceous material, and recycling said catalytic solution with dissolved catalyst into contact with fresh carbonaceous material; heating said hydrogenated, solid carbonaceous material to a second temperature in excess of said first temperature in the presence of a hydrogen containing gas to break carbon to carbon bonds and form liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels.

Claim 11

A method of converting solid carbonaceous material, that includes unsaturated carbon to carbon bonds, selected from coal, lignite, wood, lignin, oil shale, tar sand, peat and solid petroleum residuals to liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels comprising: contacting said solid carbonaceous material with a liquid catalytic solution in the presence of a source of hydrogen at a first temperature below 350° C. to hydrogenate unsaturated carbon bonds within the solid carbonaceous material, said catalytic solution including an organic solvent and a complex compound selected from the group consisting of the carbonyls, hydrocarbonyls and Ziegler-type catalytic compounds of the group VIII transition metals; separating said liquid catalytic solution from said hydrogenated, solid carbonaceous material, and recycling said catalytic solution with dissolved catalyst into contact with fresh carbonaceous material; heating said hydrogenated, solid carbonaceous material to a second temperature in excess of said first temperature in the presence of a hydrogen containing gas to break carbon to carbon bonds and form liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon fuels.