Combined process for coal pyrolysis and char gasification

Finely divided coal is reacted in a combination of processes comprising flash pyrolysis and fluidized bed gasification of char from the pyrolysis. A portion of the char which is heated by the steam-oxygen gasification provides the heat for the pyrolysis step, which can be controlled to emphasize production of such materials as light olefins and BTX pyrolyzing at lower pressure and more severe temperature, or to emphasize production of a tar, suitable for processing as a synthetic crude oil, by pyrolyzing at higher pressure and less severe temperature. In either instance the fluidized bed gasification produces a useful synthesis gas.