Seriously, if you have any remaining doubts, subsequent to our dispatches concerning the reality of Carbon Dioxide recycling technology that can synthesize higher hydrocarbons, about why Big Oil is so keen on us Coal Country rubes being compelled, all at our and our Coal-use industries' expense, to collect and ship all of our CO2 to places like West Texas for leaky geologic sequestration, herein is another smoking gun that should dispel those doubts.
Like the USDOE research and development at the Sandia and Los Alamos US National Laboratories we've reported, we see herein that Big Oil has devised his own methods for harnessing freely-available environmental energy in a way that would enable him to convert all the Carbon Dioxide we give him into valuable products, such as the liquid fuel, Methanol.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,427,508 - Light Driven Photocatalytic Process
Date: January, 1984
Inventor: Norman Lichtin, MA
Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company, CA
Abstract: A method for the light driven photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide or the bicarbonate ion to one or more compounds which comprises contacting silicon with the carbon dioxide and/or bicarbonate ion in the absence of separate physical electrolyte and electrodes, and conducting said contacting in the presence of light.
Claims: A method for the light driven photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide or the bicarbonate ion to at least one compound which comprises contacting silicon with a hydrogen containing material and at least one of carbon dioxide and the bicarbonate ion in the absence of separate physical electrolyte and electrodes, and conducting said contacting in the presence of light so that the energy of reduction is essentially supplied by said light. (And) wherein said light is one of artificial light, sunlight, or a combination thereof (and) wherein said compounds are carbon monoxide, alcohols, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, esters, and carboxylic acids ... (which are specified to include) methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, and methane.
There is provided, according to this invention, a method for the light driven photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide or the bicarbonate ion to at least one organic compound which comprises contacting silicon (elemental silicon) with at least one of carbon dioxide and the bicarbonate ion in the presence of light so that the energy of reduction is essentially supplied by said light.
Other ... agents that can be employed are hydrogen sulfide, organic waste materials such as sewage, vegetable matter or animal waste."
