Kobe Steel, Ltd.

Shigeo Yaguchi

Kenji Mori

Mamoru Taniuchi

In a method for reforming low grade coal to a carbonaceous material suitable for the production of metallurgical coke, steam coal (noncoking coal), such as sub-bituminous coal, brown coal, etc., is mixed with a catalyst, a co-catalyst (sulfur) and a hydrocarbonaceous heavy oil, and the mixture is thermally reformed in a reducing gaseous atmosphere at elevated pressure and temperature (400.degree. to 450.degree. C.) and the resultant reaction mixture is distilled at a reduced pressure of 40-150 mm Hg and at a temperature of 280.degree. to 350.degree. C. An iron type catalyst is used in proportions up to 3 wt.% based on the coal (on an ash-free, dry basis). The sulfur and heavy oil are recycled.

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Kobe, Japan

Shigeo Yaguchi