United States Patent: 4433192
In one of our more recent submissions, now posted on the West Virginia Coal Association's R&D site as:
West Virginia Coal Association - California Files CO2 Recycling Patents
"Patent Application Title: Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol ... Using ... Methane; Inventors: George A. Olah and Surya Prakash",
we documented how the University of Southern California's Nobel Laureate, George Olah, and a colleague, had recently pointed the way towards an efficient reclamation and reuse of Carbon Dioxide, through reacting it with Methane to form Methanol, by filing for United States and International patents on one way to do so.
It's a given, we would think, that Nobel Winner Olah knows quite well that one of his Nobel predecessors, Paul Sabatier, won the Prize himself, in 1912, for demonstrating that Methane can, in the first place, be synthesized from Carbon Dioxide.
We trust that it is, by now, almost gratuitous to note that Methane can also be produced via the steam gasification of Coal.
Herein, we report, through four linked and excerpted United States Patents, that Dr. Olah, and USC, out in California, have been at work showing all of us folk back home in Coal Country how to convert Methane, no matter how we get it, directly into liquid fuels.
With comment interspersed and concluding, immediately following is the excerpt from the above link, with three additional links and excerpts appended:
"United States Patent 4,433.192 - Condensation of ... Methane into Gasoline Range Hydrocarbons
Date: February 21, 1984
Inventor: George Olah, Beverly Hills, CA
Abstract: This invention relates to a new process for the direct conversion of natural gas or methane into gasoline-range hydrocarbons (i.e., synthetic transportation fuels or lower olefins) via catalytic condensation using superacid catalysts."
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Later in 1984, more than a quarter-century ago, Olah followed up with a variation of Methane conversion, in:
United States Patent: 4465893
"United States Patent 4,465,893 - Oxidative Condensation of ... Methane into Gasoline
Date: August 14, 1984
Inventor: George Olah, Beverly Hills, CA
Abstract: This invention relates to a new process for the direct conversion of natural gas or methane into gasoline range hydrocarbons (i.e., synthetic transportation fuels or lower olefins) via catalytic condensation using superacid catalysts.
1. A process for the heterogeneous gas-phase conversion of methane into gasoline-range hydrocarbons by condensing a gaseous feed comprising methane or natural gas in the presence of a solid superacid catalyst.
2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the gaseous feed is condensed in the presence of an oxidizing agent selected from air, oxygen, oxygen-ozone mixtures, sulfur, selenium, sulfur trioxide, nitrogen oxides and halogens."
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As in Claim 2, above, once we've made our Methane from CO2 or Coal, does anyone know where we might find some Sulfur or Nitrogen Oxides to help convert it into Gasoline? Seems we could use some.
Then, issued only one week later, we have:
United States Patent: 4467130
"United States Patent 4,467,130 - Condensation of ... Methane into Gasoline-range Hydrocarbons
Date: August 21, 1984
Inventor: George Olah
Abstract: This invention relates to a new process for the direct conversion of natural gas or methane into gasoline-range hydrocarbons (i.e., synthetic transportation fuels or lower olefins) via catalytic condensation using superacid catalysts.
1. A process for the heterogeneous gas-phase condensation of natural gas or methane into gasoline-range hydrocarbons comprising the steps of:
(a) thermally pretreating the natural gas or methane to form an acetylene-containing mixture;
(b) condensing the resulting methane-acetylene-containing mixture (via) a superacid catalyst."
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In the above, the needed acetylene is posited to be synthesized from the Methane. But, we have elsewhere already documented that Acetylene and Methane can be reacted together to form liquid hydrocarbons; and, that the needed Acetylene, just like the Methane, can be produced directly from Coal.
Finally, from the following year, in 1985, after our brilliant Beverly Hillbilly apparently took a breather, we have:
United States Patent: 4513164
"United States Patent 4,513,164 - Condensation of ... Methane into Gasoline
Date: April 23 1985
Inventor: George Olah
Abstract: This invention relates to a new process for the direct conversion of natural gas or methane into gasoline-range hydrocarbons (i.e., synthetic transportation fuels or lower olefins) via catalytic condensation using superacid catalysts."