Oil sand bitumen and hypercoal are examined as a caking additives to the mixture of strongly coking coal and non-slightly coking coal. Samples were coked, then their strength, crystallinity of the carbon structure, and an anisotropic microstructure were measured. Oil sand bitumen addition enhanced strength, but 15% addition caused a strength decline because of the formation of large pores and cracks. Hypercoal addition increased strength with increased its content. Correlation was observed between increased strength and the crystallinity of a carbon structure or the anisotropic microstructure. Results suggest that mutual melting occurred between a coal blend and a caking additive. Then the caking additive took a carbon structure with high crystallinity by coking, achieved a function as a binder material that connects coal-particle interfaces, and ultimately enhanced strength.

For the development of highly active and robust catalysts for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EBDH) to produce styrene; an important monomer for polystyrene production, perovskite-type oxides were applied to the reaction. Controlling the mobility of lattice oxygen by changing the structure of Ba1 − xSrxFeyMn1 − yO3 − δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1, 0.2 ≤ y ≤ 0.8), perovskite catalyst showed higher activity and stability on EBDH. The optimized Ba/Sr and Fe/Mn molar ratios were 0.4/0.6 and 0.6/0.4, respectively. Comparison of the dehydrogenation activity of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst with that of an industrial potassium promoted iron (Fe–K) catalyst revealed that the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst showed higher initial activity than the industrial Fe–K oxide catalyst. Additionally, the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst showed high activity and stability under severe conditions, even at temperatures as low as 783 K, or at the low steam/EB ratio of 2, while, the Fe–K catalyst showed low activity in such conditions. Comparing reduction profiles of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ and the Fe–K catalysts in a H2O/H2 atmosphere, reduction was suppressed by the presence of H2O over the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst while the Fe–K catalyst was reduced. In other words, Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ catalyst had higher potential for activating the steam than the Fe–K catalyst. The lattice oxygen in perovskite-structure was consumed by H2, subsequently the consumed lattice oxygen was regenerated by H2O. So the catalytic performance of Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ was superior to that of Fe–K catalyst thanks to the high redox property of the Ba0.4Sr0.6Fe0.6Mn0.4O3 − δ perovskite oxide.

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