Pumping Coal

. . . This year Wast Management and Processors, Inc. (WMPI), will break ground for the first U.S. coal-to-diesel production facility, in Gilberton, Pa. The plant will process 1.4 million tons of waste coal a year to generate approximately 5,000 barrels a day of diesel fuel. (or 1.8 million barrels a year)

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WMPI will rely on approaches innovated by South African energy giant Sasol; those methods are optimized to work with energy-poor coal, which include lignite and bitumen.
The resultant fuel is cleaner than conventional, sulfur-free diesel. In comparison tests, DaimlerChrysler showed that the coal-derived fuel spews 10 percent of the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons and 70 percent of the particulates.

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The initial cost of the fuel is expected to be about $54 a barrel.