United States Patent Application: 0070042479
We have previously reported on the Carbon conversion technical expertise of Southern Illinois University, at Carbondale, Illinois, especially in regards to one of their chief researchers there, Bakul Dave (pronounced "Davy" or "Da-vee", according to various sources).
Herein, we disclose that they have applied, as have others we've discovered and documented for you, for a United States Patent on the conversion, the recycling, of Carbon Dioxide into Methanol.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent Application 20070042279 - Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol
Publication Date: February 22, 2007; Filing Date: August 18, 2005
Inventor: Bakul C. Dave, et. al.
Assignee: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Abstract: In a sequential enzymatic reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol in which electrons are supplied by conversion of NADH to NAD, NADH may be regenerated from the NAD by conversion of lactate to pyruvate by lactate dehydrogenase enzymes.
Claims: A method for conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol comprising serial reduction of the carbon dioxide to methanol by formate dehydrogenase enzymes, formaldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes and alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes in the presence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide as a terminal electron donor wherein the serial reduction comprises a series of reduction reactions to which a terminal electron is donated by oxidation of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and wherein the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is regenerated back to reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by lactic dehydrogenase enzymes."
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We, of course, and, we suspect, many of our readers, are woefully inadequate to the task of fully understanding, much less explaining, the details of this technology.
However:
We do know from other authoritative sources, which we have previously cited for you, that Carbon Dioxide can be transformed, via sequential reactions, into formic acid and then formaldehyde, and then into Methanol.
That sequence of reactions is known and understood.
Bakul Dave's technology seems to hinge on the use of specific enzymes to accomplish the transmutations, which would imply that the enzymes, which might be thought of as biologically-based catalysts, promote and enable the necessary chemical reactions to proceed with a much-reduced need for energy input to drive the process.
In any case, yet again:
We can convert Carbon Dioxide into Methanol. Once we have the Methanol, we can use it as a liquid transportation fuel; or, we can use it to manufacture commercially-valuable plastics which would permanently sequester the CO2; or, we can, using ExxonMobil's "MTG"(r) technology, or similar, convert the Methanol into Gasoline.