Today's concern for both the environment and money is widespread, which means an alternative energy source that can save both would be a hot commodity. Fortunately, a naturally occurring substance called coal could be the answer to our energy issues. Best of all, there is no shortage of coal beneath the planet's surface, which means it is an affordable energy source.

Coal can become a clean fuel by undergoing the process of underground coal gasification, or UCG, while it lies beneath the earth's shell. The procedure at work here is called the gas to liquids process, which converts the coal from a solid to synthesis gas, or syngas. This is done through a catalytic reaction, which results in syngas that is made up of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. However, the process is just beginning.

For the next step, the coal to liquids method is used, which mainly consists of the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis. This method turns the syngas into long chains of liquid hydrocarbons through a reaction that uses cobalt as a catalyst. The simple result of the coal to liquids process is liquid fuel, which was solid coal within the planet at one time, 85 percent of which cannot be mined using traditional surface mining methods.

To ensure that the underground coal gasification process is safe for the environment, the product is refined so that no undesirable substances, such as sulfur, remain. Since the majority of UCG takes place underground, harmful elements never have to enter the atmosphere, which is a major advantage. It is evident that the coal to liquids procedure, underground coal gasification, and the gas to liquids process all work together to create clean liquid fuel suitable for distribution to gas stations.