The effects of acid and hydrothermal pretreatments and the addition of polar compounds on the production of ashless-coal (HyperCoal) from subbituminous coals using cost-effective industrial solvents were investigated. The extraction yield of Wyodak subbituminous coal (C%, 75.0%) using crude methylnaphthalene oil (CMNO) at 360 degreesC was increased significantly by 19% following acid pretreatment; it was 41.3% for the raw coal and 60.5% for the acid-treated coal. The addition of strongly polar compounds, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), also increased the extraction yields. For Pasir subbituminous coal (C%, 73.0%) the yield increased by 10% from 54.3% for the raw coal to 64.2% when 20% NMP was added to CMNO. The highest extraction yield of 72.2% was obtained for acid-treated Wyodak coal using CMNO with 20% NMP added. The ash content in HyperCoal tended to decrease following acid pretreatment and was less than 200 ppm in some coals. Hydrothermal pretreatment had a negative effect on the thermal extraction at 360 degreesC, but increased the yield at extraction temperatures below 200 degreesC.