In our immediately previous dispatch, we presented documentation of "US Patent 2,113,774 - Process for the Gasification of Dust", issued in 1938 to a German inventor, wherein it was demonstrated that Coal could be gasified with Steam to generate an hydrogenated synthesis gas, which we judged to be ideally-suited for various types of catalytic condensation into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Herein, we see that Germany continued to refine such Coal hydro-gasification technology, to improve the manufacture of hydrocarbon synthesis gas, and, as we will point out,.to include some provision for Carbon Dioxide recycling, as well.
And, nearly four decades after issuance of the above-noted USP 2,113,774, our own US Government, as embodied in the Patent Office, agreed that Germany had, indeed, achieved such Coal conversion technology improvements.
Comment follows excerpts from the plainly-titled:
"United States Patent 4,056,483 - Process for Producing Synthesis Gas
Date: November, 1977
Inventor: Gerhard Baron, et. al., Germany
Assignee: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft, Franfurt; et. al.
Abstract: In the production of a synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by a process comprising gasifying a solid fuel ... with oxygen and water vapor to produce a water vapor-containing raw gas(and) the improvement which comprises further reacting the water vapor-containing raw gas ... to produce an intermediate product gas ... and freeing the intermediate product gas from sulfur compounds. A dust fuel and/or liquid hydrocarbon can be added to the raw gas as such or after prereaction with oxygen, the addition advantageously taking place in the succeeding reactor. ... The resulting gas is suited for use as a starting material in a methanol, ammonia, oxo or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
Background: This invention relates to a process of producing synthesis gases, which contain predominantly carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by a gasification of solid fuels, particularly coal, ... by a treatment with free oxygen-containing gas and water vapor ... .
Claims: The production of a synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by a process comprising gasifying coal (with) water vapor to produce a water vapor-containing raw gas (and) feeding said raw gas ... (into a) second reaction zone (and) withdrawing from said second reaction zone an intermediate product gas ..., cooling the intermediate product gas and freeing it from sulfur compounds. (And) wherein the gasifying agent for gasifying the solid fuel includes carbon dioxide in addition to the oxygen and water vapor.
(And) wherein the reaction in the succeeding reactor is carried out in the presence of oxygen gas and carbon dioxide."
(And) wherein the reaction in the succeeding reactor is carried out in the presence of oxygen gas and carbon dioxide."
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Those excerpts should be sufficient to make the point: Using only Coal and Water, and, perhaps, "carbon dioxide", we can produce a synthesis gas suited for use either in making "methanol", from which, as in ExxonMobil's "MTG"(r) process, we can make Gasoline; or, which can also be used in the manufacture of plastics; or the syngas could be employed, as above, in the long-known "Fischer-Tropsch synthesis", which will produce liquid hydrocarbons suitable for refining into motor fuel.
And, note: As in other, similar, Coal-Steam gasification technologies we have documented for you, there is provision, as in "the gasifying agent for gasifying the solid fuel includes carbon dioxide", wherein Carbon Dioxide can actually be added to such processes, both to improve the production of desired Carbon Monoxide - Hydrogen synthesis gas mixtures, through the chemical reduction of CO2 over hot Carbon, to form reactive Carbon Monoxide; and to, thus, provide for the productive recycling of CO2.
Again, and finally: The Steam gasification and conversion of Coal, as herein, provides us with a technology that can both synthesize for us the liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons we need and help us to start productively recycling Carbon Dioxide.