Patent Images
As we prosecute our research, a wealth of information is coming to light revealing the broad, international knowledge base that exists, or at least existed for a time early in the last century, for the conversion of widely-available raw materials into hydrocarbons useful in the production of liquid fuels.
The extent and depth of the knowledge is actually more than a little shocking.
Just as surprising is that much of the knowledge is concentrated and housed in at least one branch of the US Government - the Patent Office.
We are working to devise a palatable system, or pattern, of presenting the information, and thought we would start with this single submission.
The link should take you to our US Patent and Trademark Office archives, specifically to:
"US Patent 001677363
Date: July 17, 1928
Inventor: George Olivier
Assignee: Societe Anonyme Le Petrole Synthetique; France
Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a process for continuously converting Methane gas into hydrocarbons of higher carbon content ... with the liberation of active hydrogen. ... With pure Methane I thus obtain in a practical manner it's nearly complete conversion into ethylenic hydrocarbons."
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Significantly, we think, more than a decade prior to issuance of this patent, to a French company, Europe's Nobel Committee awarded their 1912 Prize in Chemistry to French scientist Paul Sabatier, for demonstrating that Carbon Dioxide could be converted into Methane.
We have known in the United States, since the late 1800's, when Coal was commercially converted, as we've documented, into "Town", or "Producer", Gas to light the streets and heat the homes in some of our larger cities, that we could generate Methane, or "Substitute Natural Gas", from Coal.
And, remember: Once we have Methane, we can react it with more Carbon Dioxide, via "Tri-reforming" technology, to make higher hydrocarbons.
Note, too, that one of the by-products of this invention is "active hydrogen", which, as we have earlier documented, and will further document, can be utilized in the hydrogenation of highly-carbonaceous liquids derived from Coal, and in the further recycling of additional Carbon Dioxide.
Again, we think the extent and depth of this knowledge, resident as it is in our own US Government archives, is shocking; and, as we go along, we believe you will come to agree.
More than shocking is the fact that none of it has yet been reduced to commercial practice, and we US citizens have subsequently been allowed to suffer for many decades from an artificial economic tyranny inflicted on us by the deliberate illusion of increasing petroleum scarcity. Just as onerous is the stigma tattooed on our productive Coal industries because of Carbon Dioxide - a valuable and falsely-maligned by-product that can be reclaimed and converted, via Sabatier technology, into Methane; which can then, as herein, as we have known for the better part of a century, be further converted into more useful hydrocarbons.
