We've lately been documenting Penn State University's "Tri-reforming" technology, wherein Carbon Dioxide can be combined, recycled, with Methane, to synthesize more complex hydrocarbons suitable for use as liquid fuels or organic chemical and plastics manufacturing raw materials.
We've thoroughly documented, in very recent reports from very credible sources, that Methane needed for Carbon Dioxide recycling can itself be manufactured from Carbon Dioxide, via the Sabatier process, as is now employed by NASA, again as we've documented, aboard the International Space Station.
We have also reported that the needed methane for tri-reforming CO2 can be synthesized from coal. And, we herein document that particular bit of useful information has been known and established since at least 1957, although the well-documented production of "town gas", from coal, in the latter half of the 19th and early half of the 20th centuries, for public and private heating and lighting purposes, should have been evidence enough of that fact.
Via the enclosed link and following excerpt, we have:
"Title: Fluid-bed pretreatment of bituminous coals and ... and direct hydrogenation ... to pipeline gas.
Authors: Channabasappa, K.C.; Linden, H.R.
Date: January 1, 1957; OSTI ID: 5447986
Journal: Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Gas Fuel Chem.; New York, NY, USA, Sep 1957
Research Organization: Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago
Abstract: The fluid-bed pretreatment of low-rank coals in nitrogen, air, carbon dioxide, and steam atmospheres was investigated in a bench-scale unit at atmospheric pressure, and at maximum temperatures of 400 and 720/sup 0/F, in a study of the production of non-agglomerating, reactive chars suitable for fluid-bed hydrogenation to pipeline gas. Reactivities of the chars in respect to methane and ethane production were determined in batch hydrogenation tests at 1350/sup 0/F, approximately 17 standard cubic feet of hydrogen per pound of char and approximately 3000 psig maximum pressure. The results of this study indicated that the optimum pretreatment temperature is 600/sup 0/F for bituminous coal and 500/sup 0/F for lignite, and that there is little variation in the reactivity of the chars produced in nitrogen, air, and steam atmospheres. The chars produced in a carbon dioxide atmosphere showed consistently lower reactivity. Substantial agglomeration during pretreatment or hydrogasification occurred only with high-volatile bituminous coal. The extent of agglomeration increased with increases in pretreating temperature, and in steam and carbon dioxide atmospheres. Under the routine test conditions, the chars produced 50 to 55 weight percent (moisture-ash-free) of pipeline gas containing 70 to 80 mole percent of methane plus ethane upon reaching a hydrogasification temperature of 1350/sup 0/F. At higher hydrogen/char ratios, substantially higher conversions of pretreated lignite were attained."
We've known, in the US, for more than half a century, since 1957, that we can convert coal into methane. We now know, thanks to Penn State University, and others, that we can use methane to productively recycle Carbon Dioxide into valuable hydrocarbons, including liquid fuel.