"Unabridged republication of the 1990 corrected edition of the work originally published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, in 1982 and republished by pH Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990. The authors have written a new preface to the Dover edition"--Title page verso. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Chemical and physical fundamentals -- Conversion fundamentals -- Gas from coal -- Gas upgrading -- Liquids and clean solids from coal -- Liquids from oil shale and tar sands -- Biomass conversion -- Environmental aspects -- Economics and perspective -- Appendix A : Constants and conversion factors -- Appendix B : Symbols and acronyms. This book, the outgrowth of a graduate course the authors taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was designed to fill an urgent need -- the training of engineers in the production of synthetic fuels to replace dwindling supplies of natural ones. The authors presented synthetic fuels as a unified engineering subject, while recognizing that many of its principles are well-understood aspects of various engineering fields. The presentation begins with a review of chemical and physical fundamentals and conversion fundamentals, and proceeds to coal gasification and gas upgrading. Subsequent chapters examine liquids and clean solids produced from coal, liquids obtained from oil shale and tar sands, biomass conversion, and environmental, economic, and related aspects of synthetic fuel use. The text is directed toward beginning graduate students and advanced undergraduates in chemical and mechanical engineering, but should also appeal to students from other disciplines, including environmental, mining, petroleum, and industrial engineering, as well as chemistry. It also serves as a reference and guide for professionals.