By 1950, more than half a century ago, our official, US Government-certified knowledge concerning the technology for converting Coal into the liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons traditionally obtained from petroleum was so advanced that, as we have in earlier posts documented, considerable effort was applied to, and achievements made, in recovering and refining Coal-derived hydrocarbons from a Coal conversion process stream.
The US Patent we enclose herein is another example of that technology, wherein synthesis gas, derived either from Coal or Methane, is further processed to enhance recovery and production of valuable products.
And, the disclosed technology has what should, by now, be some obvious implications, as we point out following excerpts from:
"United States Patent 2,501,115 - Separation of Hydrocarbon Synthesis Products
Date: March, 1950
Inventor: Phillip White, IL
Assignee: Standard Oil Company, Chicago
Abstract: This invention relates ... to an improved combination of synthesizing hydrocarbons ... from mixtures of hydrogen and carbon monoxide and of recovering the components of the synthesis products.
It is an object of this invention to ... provide a method and means for effecting optimum recovery of synthesis products in an efficient and expeditious manner.
A methane-containing stream, such as natural gas, is introduced into the system (and, though) I prefer natural gas, which normally comprises essentially methane, ... it should be understood that ... my process (is) also applicable to feed gases derived from other sources, such as coal ... .
Claims: (The) process of separating organic oxygenated compounds and hydrocarbons from vaporous mixtures thereof obtained by the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide ... ."
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There seems little point in further detailing how Standard Oil proposed, sixty years ago, to go about "effecting optimum recovery of synthesis products" generated from a feed gas that could be either "essentially methane" or "derived from ... coal".
It should be enough that our own US Government, as herein, confirmed that there could actually be such hydrocarbon "synthesis products" from either Methane or Coal, via the "hydrogenation of carbon monoxide".
Should we wish to start with Methane, we can synthesize that, as recently confirmed by NASA and as we have tediously reported, from Carbon Dioxide.
