ADVENTURES IN COAL, OIL AND GAS

Over 40 years ago, Don Othmer's and my paths crossed in Johannesburg, South Africa. At that time my associates and I sold a coal-to-oil (Synthol) plant there which was the start of a synthetic fuels industry that peaked in the eighties. South Africa is the only country where coal-to-oil plants have been built since WWII. Four important patent-pooling and licensing agreements in conjunction with the right people in the right place at the right time resulted in the development of Synthol and 3 other processes to produce ethylene, aromatics, and ammonia. These three had a major impact on the petroleum and chemical industries world-wide. Anyone wishing to discover the reason why Don was in South Africa at that time is advised to consult the text.