We continue to hammer away at a point that should long ago have been made public to the citizens of the United States of America, especially those citizens resident in US Coal Country; a point which should, by now, be tediously apparent to all our readers:
Coal can be hydrogenated through gasification by, and interaction with, Steam, in order to produce an hydrogenated synthesis gas especially well-suited for Fischer-Tropsch, and related, catalytic condensation into liquid hydrocarbons.
We document herein, yet again, that the petroleum industry, and our own US Government, through issuance of so many patents on such technology, have known that to be true for well more than half a century.
There are other implications for such technology, as well; which we will emphasize, and which, in light of some reports which we intend yet to send, we urge you to remember, to keep in mind, following excerpts from:
"United States Patent 2,527,197 - Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen from Carbonaceous Materials
Date: October, 1950
Inventor: Walter Rollman, NJ
Assignee: Standard Oil Development Company, DE
Abstract: A more specific object of my invention is to provide a process for producing a mixture of CO and hydrogen ... .
The production of hydrocarbons, both gaseous and liquid, by catalytic synthesis using carbon monoxide and hydrogen is old ... (and) ... it affords a means of forming valuable hydrocarbons which may be converted, for example, to gasoline, heating oil and other products ordinarily obtained from petroleum.
The most commonly used methods of preparing carbon monoxide and hydrogen involves the reaction between steam and carbonaceous materials such as coal ... .
The process (as described herein) is completely continuous, requires no pure oxygen and the CO and H2 (so produced) contains only minor amounts of ... CO2.
Claims: A continuous process for producing a mixture of CO and H2 of sufficient purity to be used in a hydrocarbon synthesis process."
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It is important to note, that, as we have already documented from multiple, other, credible sources: We can manufacture a synthesis gas especially well-suited for "hydrocarbon synthesis", and containing "only minor amounts of ... CO2", by a "reaction between steam and carbonaceous materials such as coal".
One thing to keep in mind, as per our introductory notes, is that Coal is, no doubt, not the only "carbonaceous" material which can be so reacted with Steam in order to produce a gas "of sufficient purity to be used in" any one of a number of "hydrocarbon synthesis" processes that were, by 1950, as herein, already "old".
The fact that Coal, though the most important and critical resource which can be so processed, is not the only applicable raw material, will figure in at least one report soon to follow; but, the general implications, in terms of sustainability and Carbon recycling, should be immediately obvious to any who have followed our posts thus far.
In any case, the petroleum industry, and our own US Government, as documented herein, knew, as a matter of plain fact, more than half a century ago, that Coal and Steam can be reacted to produce a gas which could then be converted into a full range of "valuable hydrocarbons ... (including) ... gasoline (and) heating oil ... ordinarily obtained from petroleum".
