We have several times documented for you the development, by United States Department of Defense contractors United Technologies and Hamilton Standard, of now-patented technologies for the conversion of Carbon Dioxide, as recovered from the atmosphere or ocean water, into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Included in our reports was even one US Patent, applied for by United Technologies, for a "Fuel Production Ship", wherein CO2 and Hydrogen, with the Hydrogen to be electrolyzed from sea water, would be catalytically combined to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
We note, too, our previous reports, with more to follow, of similar technology being developed by NASA.
Herein, we submit a rare, almost-public revelation that, more than three decades ago, such development, based on the 1912 Nobel-winning Sabatier process for converting Carbon Dioxide into Methane, was underway.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"Title: Development of an Improved Sabatier Reactor
Source: ASME Conference on Environmental Systems, San Francisco, CA, USA, July, 1979
Authors: P. Birbara and F. Sribnik; United Technologies Corp., Hamilton Standard Div.; CT
Original Publication Date: January, 1979
Abstract: This paper presents the results of recent experimental and analytical studies of a Sabatier reactor where carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst react to form water, methane, and heat. The work undertaken in this program was aimed at simplification of design and control concepts of Sabatier subsystems. To this end, effort was expended to the development of UASC-151G, a highly active, physically durable catalyst composed of ruthenium on alumina. ... The use of this improved catalyst has very significant effects on the Sabatier reaction subsystem design including: (1) lower temperature starting capability, (2) simplification of active control and instrumentation requirements, (3) simplified reactor design, (4) improved reliability, and (5) high conversion efficiencies using only small amounts of catalyst. Reasonable agreement between test and computer simulation has been obtained for temperature and lean component conversion efficiencies for both steady-state and cyclic operation."
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Note that the Sabatier reaction is exothermic, as in "carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst react to form water, methane, and heat"; and, we wonder if that heat could be harnessed to help drive other processes, such as generating electricity needed to obtain the necessary Hydrogen from Water.
But, we have, as herein, known, for more than three decades, in some branches of our US Government, that we could synthesize Methane, starting with Carbon Dioxide as a principal raw material.
As we have documented, and as we will further report, Methane can be directly converted into liquid hydrocarbons; or, it can be used to enhance the productivity of some processes of indirect Coal conversion to form liquid hydrocarbons; or, it can be reacted with more Carbon Dioxide, in "tri-reforming" technologies, such as explained by Penn State University, to synthesize hydrocarbons.
What, do you want to bet, they know all of that full well in West Texas, and anywhere else Big Oil owns depleted natural petroleum reservoirs, to which our vital Coal-use industries, and the consumers of Coal-based electricity, are on the verge of being compelled to ship, all at their expense, all of the Carbon Dioxide they can collect from their Coal-fired power plant smoke stacks for geologic sequestration?
