Thermal dissolution is a method of

liquefaction In materials science, liquefaction is a process that generates a liquid from a solid or a gas or that generates a non-liquid phase which behaves in accordance with fluid dynamics. It occurs both naturally and artificially. As an example of th ...

of solid fossil fuels. It is a

hydrogen-donor solvent A hydrogen-donor solvent is hydrocarbon that transfers hydrogen to hydrogen-poor substrates, such as coal. The hydrogen-poor substrates could be a solute or suspension. The classic hydrogen-donor solvent (or just donor solvent) is tetrahydronapht ...

refining process. It may be used for the

shale oil extraction Shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil production. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or up ...

and

coal liquefaction Coal liquefaction is a process of converting coal into liquid hydrocarbons: liquid fuels and petrochemicals. This process is often known as "Coal to X" or "Carbon to X", where X can be many different hydrocarbon-based products. However, the most c ...

. Other liquids extraction processes from solid fuels are

pyrolysis The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures, often in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements '' ...

and

hydrogenation Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic ...

. Compared to hydrogenation, the process of thermal dissolution has milder conditions, simpler process, and no consumption of catalyst.

References

Oil shale technology Chemical processes Industrial processes {{engineering-stub