Abstract: This invention relates to the extraction of oil shales and tar sands by using a solvent under supercritical conditions at a temperature within 200.degree. C. or its critical temperature in order to effect extraction of kerogen from the sand or shale.In the case of shales considerable heat needs to be applied to the shale before effective extraction can occur and extraction in this case may be carried out at a temperature within the range of 370.degree. to 450.degree. C.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the hydrogenative extraction of coal which comprises extracting finely divided coal at an elevated temperature between 340.degree. and 480.degree. C. with a gaseous solvent and a hydrogen donor, which solvent at the extraction temperature is above its critical temperature, separating the gas phase extract from the solids residue when extraction has been completed and thereafter condensing the extracted products from the gaseous or vapor phase. The coal is preferably finely divided such that 90% of the coal particles pass through a 1.5 mm. mesh screen. The solvent may comprise a number of utilizable solvent components and the solvent selected such that the sum of the reduced partial pressures of the utilisable solvent components is greater than 1 at the extraction temperature.