United States Patent: 5213908
We earlier documented that NASA owns technology which enables, and would enable, our US astronauts to make both Oxygen, as is practiced now aboard the International Space Station, and rocket propellant, as they intend to do on Mars, from Carbon Dioxide.
Herein, we report that the US Government also owns the rights to a technology that would enable us to use Carbon Dioxide to generate electricity.
And, as we point out in comments following, even though this technology was, no doubt, developed for our Space Program, it does have more mundane terrestrial applications.
The excerpt:
"United States Patent 5,213,908 - Alkali Metal Carbon Dioxide Electrochemical System
May 1993
Inventor: Norman Hagedorn
Assignee: The United States of America
The invention described herein was made by employees of the U.S. government and may be manufactured and used by or for the U.S. government without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
Abstract: An alkali metal, such as lithium, is the anodic reactant, carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide is the cathodic reactant, and carbonate of the alkali metal is the electrolyte in an electrochemical cell for the storage and delivery of electrical energy. Additionally, alkali metal-carbon dioxide battery systems include a plurality of such electrochemical cells. Gold is a preferred catalyst for reducing the carbon dioxide at the cathode.
Claims:
1. An electrochemical cell for the storage and delivery of electrical energy, comprising:
an anode comprising an alkali metal as anodic reactant,
a cathode comprising carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as cathodic reactant ...
12. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein said anode reactant is a free liquid at operating temperatures or is constrained within a porous ceramic structure or a porous metallic structure by capillary forces.
13. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, wherein the cathodic reactant is a mixture of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
14. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, which further comprises means for removing or storing excess carbonate of alkali metal.
15. An alkali metal carbon dioxide battery system comprising a plurality of electrochemical cells which comprise an anode comprising an alkali metal as anodic reactant, a cathode comprising carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as cathodic reactant, an alkali metal ion conducting solid, and an electrolyte comprising the carbonate of the alkali metal, said electrolyte being in physical contact with the alkali metal ion conducting solid and the cathode, and said alkali metal ion conducting solid separating the alkali metal from the electrolyte.
16. The battery system according to claim 15, wherein the electrochemical cells are connected in bipolar series.
17. The battery system according to claim 15, which further comprises a means for conditioning and delivering said carbon dioxide to each said cathode.
18. A process for producing electrochemical energy, comprising: simultaneously contacting: (1) an alkali metal with an anode, (2) an alkali metal ion conducting solid with the anode, (3) carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide with a cathode, and (4) carbonate of the alkali metal with the alkali metal ion conducting solid and the cathode; thereby reducing carbon dioxide at the cathode and releasing electrons at the anode.
24. The process according to claim 18, wherein a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide is contacted with the cathode.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention an electrochemical fuel cell for the storage and delivery of electrical energy comprises an anode comprising an alkali metal as anodic reactant, a cathode comprising carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as the cathodic reactant, and an electrolyte comprising the carbonate of the alkali metal. ... Additionally, the present invention pertains to an alkali metal carbon dioxide battery system comprising a plurality of electrochemical cells, the cells being comprised of anodes comprising an alkali metal as anodic reactant, cathodes comprising carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide as cathodic reactant ... .
The fuel cell of the present invention therefore performs a novel method of producing electrochemical energy using anodic reactants which are extremely energetic and light, and a cathodic reactant, which since it can be extracted from its environment, exacts no transportation penalty. Such electrochemical cells are particularly useful in environments where carbon dioxide is plentiful, as for example, an industrial site where carbon dioxide is a by-product or an extraterrestrial site such as Mars or Venus."
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Keep in mind that the "cathodic reactant" which can be "extracted from its environment" and thereby "exacts no transportation penalty" is Carbon Dioxide.
What sort of "transportation penalty", do you suppose, is "exacted" by schemes to sequester CO2 in oil fields remote from the sites of industrial CO2 co-production?
We do acknowledge that there will be some by-products of the CO2 reduction, as the inventors do, in:
"14. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, which further comprises means for removing or storing excess carbonate of alkali metal."
But, "alkali metals" would include Sodium and Calcium. If it is Sodium Carbonate or Calcium Carbonate that is being co-produced, they do have practical uses and wouldn't be just solid "waste" that requires costly disposal.
And, even though this technology was, no doubt, developed, at least under pretense, for "Mars or Venus", our government does acknowledge that such "electrochemical cells are particularly useful in environments where carbon dioxide is plentiful, as for example, an industrial site where carbon dioxide is a by-product".
So, our US Government has made it official: Carbon Dioxide is not a pollutant; but, "a by-product" of industry; a by-product, as herein, with significant potential for productive commercial use.