Today, via separate dispatch, we sent information concerning United States Patent: 3993457; for the "Concurrent Production of Methanol and Synthetic Natural Gas", wherein it was seen that Exxon had developed a technology which would, if reduced to practice, enable us to synthesize both the liquid fuel, Methanol, and a synthetic "natural" gas, Methane, CH4, concurrently, from Coal.
Previously, we have sent confirmation of the fact that Methane, obtained from any source, can be reacted, "reformed", with reclaimed Carbon Dioxide, also obtained from any source, and made thus to synthesize even more liquid hydrocarbons, again including Methanol; which can be, via ExxonMobil's "MTG"(r) technology, further transformed into Gasoline; or, used as the raw material for the manufacture of certain plastics.
Herein, we see even more recent confirmation of the fact that, once it is synthesized, via one or another of the multiple available processes, from Coal; or, via the Sabatier process now being further refined by NASA, from Carbon Dioxide itself, all as we have documented, Methane can be reacted, "reformed" with Carbon Dioxide to synthesize higher, valuable, hydrocarbons.
Comment follows excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch to:
"United States Patent 4,690,777 - Production of Synthesis Gas
Date: September, 1987
Inventor: Louis Valenyi, et. al., Ohio
Assignee: The Standard Oil Company, Cleveland
Abstract: Gas mixtures containing at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide are prepared by reforming hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst impregnated on a specially prepared porous catalyst support. In one embodiment of the present invention, methane is reformed in a process to produce a product gas mixture containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen ... .
Claims: A process for reforming light hydrocarbons ... comprising contacting the light hydrocarbons with carbon dioxide ... (and) wherein the light hydrocarbon is methane.
Description: (Gas) mixtures containing carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios of 1/1 or 1/2 are particularly useful as feed gases in processes for producing higher hydrocarbons and oxygenated derivatives, such as Fischer-Tropsch and alcohol synthesis processes ... .
It is an object of the present invention to provide a catalytic process for reforming a light hydrocarbon and, more particularly, methane containing gases to obtain a product gas mixture containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
Summary: The present invention provides a process for reforming light hydrocarbons to a product gas mixture containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen comprising contacting the light hydrocarbon gas with carbon dioxide in the presence of a ... (specified) catalyst."
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In case you missed the point: Standard Oil knows how to react Carbon Dioxide with Methane and thereby create a synthesis gas suitable for manufacturing liquid hydrocarbon fuels via "Fischer-Tropsch and alcohol synthesis processes".
And, again: We can synthesize Methane from either Coal or Carbon Dioxide.
