Coal: The cool fuel for future jets

Say the words “coal-powered engine,” and images of men shoveling black rock into the fiery

belly of a steam engine come to mind. However, liquid fuel made from coal instead of oil may

shoot the next generation of supersonic jets across the sky.

If flight speeds are to increase, jets will require new fuels that don’t fall apart chemically in

engines that become extremely hot, says fuel chemist John M.