United States Patent: 4663355
As you should, from our posts, by now know, the old Union Carbide Corporation, now a component of Dow Chemical, operated, for a time, several decades ago, a Coal hydrogenation plant that made liquid hydrocarbons from Coal, in South Charleston, West Virginia.
Again, we have documented both that Coal conversion facility's existence and multiple patented Coal conversion technical innovations that were inspired by it's operation.
Herein is another of those patented technical innovations, but one which reveals a new, but now unsurprising, piece of information.
Union Carbide's development of Coal liquefaction technology - technology which has, now for decades, remained unused - was financed by the United States Government.
As revealed in excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,663,355 - Process for Converting Synthesis Gas to Liquid Motor Fuels
Date: May, 1987
Inventor: Peter Coughlin, NY
Assignee: Union Carbide Corporation, CT
Abstract: The addition of an inert metal component, such as gold, silver or copper, to a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst comprising cobalt enables said catalyst to convert synthesis gas to liquid motor fuels at about 240 - 370C. with advantageously reduced selectivity of said cobalt for methane in said conversion. The catalyst composition can advantageously include a support component, such as a molecular sieve, co-catalyst/support component or a combination of such support components.
Government Interests: The Government of the United States of America has rights to this invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-AC22-8IPC40077 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Claims: An improved process for the catalytic conversion of synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen to C5+ hydrocarbon mixtures advantageous for use as liquid motor fuels comprising contacting said synthesis gas at a reaction temperature of from about 240 to about 370C with a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst composition comprising cobalt admixed with gold, being present in an amount within the range of from about 0.1 to about 50 mole percent ... whereby the selectivity of cobalt for methane in said synthesis gas conversion is desirably lowered, increasing the selectivity of said cobalt to desired liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Description: The synthesis gas, or syngas, treated in accordance with the practice of the invention generally comprises a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, usually together with smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen or other components as is well known in the art. Syngas is commonly produced by steam reforming of hydrocarbons or by the partial oxidation of coal ... or by similar gasification of other carbonaceous fuels such as peat, wood and cellulosic waste materials.
The invention thus represents an important advance in the continuing desire and need for improvements in the ability of the art to provide the liquid motor fuel requirements of industrial societies."
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We close our excerpts here so that we can highlight one important fact revealed above: Not only did these scientists disclose an improved method of converting syngas, "produced ... by the partial oxidation of coal" into "desired liquid hydrocarbon fuels", they disclose that, as we have earlier documented, such Coal conversion technology can provide a means for the productive, indirect recycling of Carbon Dioxide, and an element of sustainability, through the inclusion of renewable resources such as "peat, wood and cellulosic waste".
Moreover, we US Citizens, through the tax dollars we paid to our US Government, via USDOE Contract AC22-8IPC40077, financed the discovery and development.
Why, more than twenty years later, have we yet to realize any return on our investment?