for gasoline. I could convert coal to hydrogen gas and use the hydrogen to upgrade mined bitumen to syncrude(currently natural gas is used at the rate of 800 cf per barrel). 1/10th ton of coal could provide that much hydrogen. Obviously the energy of coal can produce oil most efficiently by turning low grade unconventional oil into petroleum products. Oil refineries use oil to make oil but also use some piped in natural gas. No, just that as I've also pointed out long ago similar examples to above, EROEI is a LOT more complicated a question than many here make it out to be. You attempt at confusing the issue with an irrelevant reply is only one example. If I could invest 21 GJ in coal and extract 21 GJ in oil, I'd make $270 profit. I like natural gas myself because its a wonderful money maker with a EROEI&lt;1. Using an energy equivalence of approximately 6000 scf to a single barrel of crude, you take the 10,000 scf necessary, at a cost of perhaps $50, and turn it into a barrel of synthetic crude worth $80. Now you've got a profit making exercise with an EROEI&lt;1. It requires someone who thinks that energy is money to fall for this line of reasoning. Certainly during the decade I spent exploring, drilling, cementing, stimulating and producing wells I never once calculated EROEI to determine the economic value of a project. I can just imagine the look on the reserve auditors if