Experiments in artificial coalification

Abstract

Lignin derived from conifer wood was converted by the action of boiling 6N hydrochloric acid into a material closely resembling Victorian brown coals. The mechanism of this conversion and its implication for the theories of coal genesis are discussed. Morwell brown coal was converted, by treatment with alkali at 230° followed by decarboxylation with copper/quinoline, into a material resembling a more mature coal.