Years ago, GM built a car that ran on powdered coal-I never saw its test results.
Later, a local inventor built an engine that ran on powdered cornstarch. Now, powders (of combustible materials) are easy to ignite/explode-flour mills would commonly be destroyed by explosions.
But using powders in an IC engine presents problems-with the combustion products (how you get them out of the cylinders), and fuel injection issues.
Still, coal is pretty abundant-anyone have specifics on what the GM engine achieved?
A number of Diesels and Gas Turbines have been built that could run on coal dust.
Unfortunately, coal dust has an abrasive residue…ash…which can quickly destroy pistons and cylinders in a reciprocating engine, and molten ash…commonly known as “clinker”…builds up within and immediately downstream of a turbine’s combustion area, coal coal dust as a practical IC fuel is a no-go.
And if you think catalytic converters & other pollution control devices for a gasoline engine are complicated, take a look at what they have on coal-fired electric generating plants!