China Recycles CO2 with Coke Oven Gas

 
We long ago cited a number of very specific reports, from very credible sources, that the gas arising from the production of coke, from coal, could be captured and converted into liquid fuels.
 
We reminded you that coke oven gas is flammable, as should have been obvious to any older native West Virginian who would have seen the vented gas being flared at night on the dark hills.
 
Coke oven gas is flammable because the coal is being transformed not just into coke for steel furnaces, but into a number of hydrocarbon gasses, as well; notably Methane.
 
As in Penn State University's Tri-reforming Process, as explained by Song and Grimes, Methane can be combined with Carbon Dioxide to make Syngas, from which liquid fuels and valuable organic chemicals can then be synthesized via long-established technologies such as the Fischer-Tropsch process.
 
Herein, China affirms that the needed Methane, for the reformation, the recycling, of Carbon Dioxide into liquid fuels can itself be obtained from coal via the coking process.
 
The excerpt:
 
"CO2 reforming of CH4 in coke oven gas to syngas over coal char catalyst
 
Guojie Zhang, Yue Dong, Meirong Feng, Yongfa Zhang, Wei Zhao and Hongcheng Cao

Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, Taiyuan University of Technology, 030024, Taiyuan, China

Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Technical Center, Taiyuan, China

Taiyuan Science & Technology Enducation Center, Taiyuan, China

Lu’ an Group, Changzhi, China


September 2008

Abstract

The CO2 reforming of methane (in coke oven gas) on the coal char catalyst was performed in a fixed bed reactor at temperatures between 800 and 1200 C under normal pressure. The effects of the coal char catalyst pretreatment and the ratio of CO2/CH4 were studied. Experimental results showed that the coal char was an effective catalyst for production of syngas, and addition of CO2 did not enhance the CH4 reforming to H2. It was also found that the product gas ratio of H2/CO is strongly influenced by the feed ratio of CO2/CH4. The modified coal char catalyst was more active during the CO2–CH4 reforming than the coal char catalyst based on the catalyst volume, furthermore the modified catalyst exhibited high activity in CO2–CH4 reforming to syngas. The conversion of methane can be divided into two stages. In the first stage, the conversion of CH4 gradually decreased. In the second stage, the conversion of methane maintained nearly constant. The conversion of CO2 decreased slightly during the overall reactions in CO2–CH4 reforming. The coal char catalyst is a highly promising catalyst for the CO2 reforming of methane to syngas."

It might be gratuitous to note, but we have, as well, earlier provided substantial documentation of the fact that coke, after it has been made from coal, can itself be liquefied with hydrogen donor solvents to produce even more hydrocarbon liquids amenable to refining into fuels and chemicals.

And, if you don't by now know what we can make from "syngas", once we've generated it from coal, and/or carbon dioxide, then you haven't been paying attention.

Germany and Japan used it to make liquid fuels for their armies during WWII. It certainly seemed to work for them.

One somewhat intriguing point of this Chinese research: They used a catalyst made from coal, "char", to promote the reaction of a coal combustion product, CO2, with the by-product of coal coking process, Methane, to make syngas, which can then be condensed into liquid fuels.

Seriously: Just how good does this have to get before we just start doing it, and thereby start putting an end to our unhealthy reliance on non-domestic sources of liquid fuels?