In confirmation of several of our earlier reports, we see herein that our own United States Government, as embodied in the Pittsburgh, PA, office of the US Bureau of Mines, demonstrated, nearly one half of a century ago, that Coal could be reacted with Steam and thus made to produce, concurrently, both hydrocarbon synthesis gas and Methane.
That fact has implications which should by now be obvious, but which we will again emphasize following brief excerpts from the enclosed link to, and attached file of:
"United States Patent 3,463,63 - Process for Gasifying Caking Coals
Date: August, 1969
Inventor: Albert Forney, et. al., Pittsburgh, PA
Assignee: The United States of America
Abstract: A methane rich synthesis gas is produced from finely divided caking coals by subjecting the coal to a pretreatment in the presence of oxygen and steam.
Background: It is well known to convert coal to synthesis gas (by reacting) coal ... with oxygen and steam ... to produce (a mixture) of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane."
----------
We will forgo reproduction of the technical process details.
We submit that the Hydrogen and the Carbon Monoxide, once produced, as above, can then be combined and catalytically condensed via the, for instance, Fischer-Tropsch process into liquid hydrocarbons.
We further submit that the Carbon Dioxide and the Methane, once also produced, as above, can then be combined and transformed via the, for one instance out of many we have now reported to you, process described in: "United States Patent: 4690777 - Production of Synthesis Gas; September, 1987; Assignee: The Standard Oil Company", wherein it is explained that: "Gas mixtures containing at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide are prepared by ... contacting ... light hydrocarbons with carbon dioxide ... (and) wherein the light hydrocarbon is methane", into an additional stream of synthesis gas suitable for catalytic condensation via the, again for instance, Fischer-Tropsch process into liquid hydrocarbons.
In essence, we have in hand all the technologies we need for generating hydrocarbon synthesis gas from Coal and Steam, and for doing so with no release of co-produced Carbon Dioxide.
