The anaerobic enrichment of carbon dates back to the traditional technology of charcoaling. Processes like the dry distillation or the pyrolytic gasification were invented already in the 19th century, being employed for the production of town gas and fuel from coal.
With the charring of brown coal, wood or turf and the production of charring tar or charring oil, for the production of liquid carbohydrates, and with medium and high temperature carbonization, for the production of process gas for industrial use, these reductive processes, for treatment and refining of fuel, have been well-known and in use since about 100 years.
In the run-up to the founding of AGT a range of research projects were carried out successfully in Austria for the purpose of further developing conversion technology and process various input-materials. The pilot-plant was in operation for 12 years, finally in the coal industry for the drying and pre-treatment of lignite. In 2008 it was re-established and newly equipped according to the latest state of the art, as a pilot plant in full technical size. Thus, for clients, various input-materials can be tested and die plant engineering be based on industrial trials.
![VersuchA General view of pilot plant in industrial operation in coal pre-treatment](https://www.agt-international.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/VersuchA-1.jpg)
These experiences AGT combines with a radical new process sequence and process control system up to the latest state of Low Temperature Conversion.