Hydrotreatment of coal-derived heavy distillate, obtained from the liquefaction of Wandoan coal using a 1 t/day bench unit, was performed to clarify the effects of catalyst species, reaction temperature and hydrogen pressure on the chemical composition of the product. Experimental runs were carried out over alumina-supported Go-Mo and Ni-Mo catalysts in a fixed bed reactor of 20 mi in volume at 350-390 degrees C under hydrogen pressure of 50-150 kg/cm(2) G with liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of 0.5-2 h(-1). The product, as analyzed by gas chromatography, indicated that larger amounts of alkylbenzenes such as toluene or xylenes were produced at the elevated temperature of 390 degrees C, but the concentrations of condensed aromatics such as naphthalene, biphenyl, fluorene and phenanthrene decreased with the severity of reaction conditions. Pyrene and methylpyrene decreased in amount with a shorter LHSV and higher hydrogen pressure, but increased at higher temperature of 390 degrees C. Shorter LHSV and higher hydrogen pressure are much more effective in hydrogenation, hydrodenitrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation than the higher reaction temperature up to 390 degrees C. Total amounts of n-paraffins in the feed oil and in the product oils do not show a big change. Therefore, hydrocracking of the n-paraffin does not occur under these reaction conditions. Denitrogenation of the heavy distillate did not proceed so much compared with the middle distillate. Heavy neutral nitrogen compounds, such as carbazole and its alkyl homologues, are only detected with traces of quinoline.