Chemists find more efficient coal-to-diesel conversion

U.S. scientists say they have found a way to boost the efficiency of a 90-year-old method of converting coal into synthetic diesel fuel.

The two-step chemical process, developed by chemists at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, converts some of the waste product from the original process into usable diesel.

The researchers said their work could reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports for its energy reserves.

However, they added that their research is still in the early stages, and improvements to their methods are needed before they can be put into practice.

CBC