Apparently producing margarine from coal was actually done during WWII.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarine?wprov=sfti1#Coal_but...
https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/brave-new-bu...
Edit: The more I read on this the more doubtful I’m becoming that this was actually produced at scale. If anyone has a better source I’d love to see it!
I can't decide if this sounds more like a startup idea or a proposal from the coal lobby.
No it couldn't have been, from wikipedia:
> The process required at least 60 kilograms of coal per kilogram of synthetic butter.[23] That industrial process was discontinued after WWII due to its inefficiency.
I was never a fan of margarine, but the more I learn tidbits like this the more I think it strange.