We previously submitted report of "United States Patent 3,740,193 - Hydrogen (from) Steam Gasification of Carbonaceous Materials", which was awarded, in 1973, to Louisiana scientists working for Esso, before it became Exxon.
Herein, we see that, even earlier, one of the lead inventors of that technology, and a different Esso colleague, had developed a somewhat different Coal hydro-gasification process, very similar to others we've previously documented, wherein the Steam-gasification of Coal can be directed in such a way as to yield Methane, a valuable hydrocarbon gas whose versatility and potential importance we've been reporting on, and which we'll recap briefly, following excerpts from:
"United States Patent 3,689,240 - Production of Methane-Rich Gases
Date: September, 1972
Inventors: Clyde Aldridge and David Buben, LA
Assignee: Esso Research and Engineering Company
Abstract: A process for producing a methane-rich gas wherein carbonaceous material is steam gasified ... .
This invention relates to a novel and improved process for producing methane-rich gas.
Suitable feedstocks would include coal ... .
Steam is injected into the feedstock (as per specifications) ... to achieve maximum production of methane.
Claims: A process for producing a methane-rich gaseous stream (by) contacting steam with ... coal."
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And, once we have the Methane, from Coal and Steam, we can either convert it directly into liquid fuels; or, we can use it to enhance the productivity of some indirect Coal-to-liquid conversion technologies; or, we can combine the Methane with Carbon Dioxide, in bi-reforming and tri-reforming processes, as explained most recently by Penn State University, and by DuPont scientists working long ago in West Virginia, all as we have documented, to synthesize liquid fuels such as Methanol.