All our other documentation of the fact that Methane can be manufactured, via the 1912 Sabatier process now being further refined by NASA, from Carbon Dioxide; or, via one of a seemingly endless variety of techniques for the Steam-gasification of Coal; aside, we submit herein, again from the much-vilified USEPA - who, if you recall earlier of our reports, has validated the truth that Coal can be converted into liquid hydrocarbon fuels by promulgating environmental standards for Coal liquefaction plants - clear statement that Methane, once produced from CO2 or Coal, can be converted into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Now, truth to tell, their take on the situation is that we should be extracting the Methane for such conversion from Coal seam deposits which might otherwise leak into the atmosphere as a result of mining activity.
And, in fact, that might not be such a bad idea. If the Coal-seam Methane is plentiful enough and the process described herein is economical enough, it might represent the potentials both for another profit center for Coal mine operators and for more jobs for Coal Country citizens.
Those considerations aside, following are exceedingly brief, but we think revelatory, excerpts from the enclosed link to, and attached file of, with summary comment appended, the EPA report:
"Conversion of Coal Mine Methane into Synthetic Fuels
United States Environmental Protection Agency; November, 1998
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the conversion of methane into liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as diesel, kerosene and naptha. (And) locating a synfuel plant near a coal mine could enhance the economic viability of both methane recovery and synfuel production.
(Moreover) gas-to-liquid technologies have existed since the 1920's (and the) most successful conversion of methane to liquid fuels to date is through Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis technology.
The discovery of advanced catalysts ... has greatly reduced the costs ... making methane conversion plants smaller than 5,000 barrels per day economically possible."
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So, a dozen years ago, the price of oil was already such that "conversion plants" utilizing "Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis technology", which was developed in "the 1920's" - in order to, specifically, we remind you, convert Coal into liquid fuels - to convert Methane extracted from Coal seams into liquid hydrocarbon fuels, "smaller than 5,000 barrels per day" were "economically possible".
We can extract Methane from Coal seams; or, we can synthesize it from Carbon Dioxide; or, we can manufacture it, via Steam-gasification, from Coal.
