Methanol production from coal. Section I

As can be noted in the bibliography, many highly competent and well recognized authorities are seriously considering methanol as an energy source of significant magnitude. Most of the studies do not emphasize investment capital, which even at modest implementation of the options noted for methanol's future could range from $10 to $30 billion. The published work which does include investment and product cost estimates is usually optimistic. In the literature, the topical energy spectrum discussed is highly undefined, policy formulation is in the early stages of development, the feedstock phases of energy supplies are defined relations, and capital is considered in the high-risk realm. In spite of this, technology poses a reasonable potential of resolving these interactions. This potential cost and problem resolution, plus the capacity of methanol to supplant a portion of the domestic crude oil, leads to the conclusion that the probability of extensive methanol production from coal as an energy source is high. (GRA)