Via separate dispatch this day, we are making report of research at Japan's Mie University, which discloses that solutions of Carbon Dioxide in Methanol, which is an effective absorbent of CO2 specified in some commercialized technologies for the collection of CO2 arising from industrial processes, can be efficiently electrolyzed and made to produce, along with some commercially-valuable by-products, Methane.
The vast utility of that "natural" gas aside, we wanted, in this submission, to again confirm that the needed Methanol can itself be efficiently synthesized, via long-known technologies, from Coal.
With some comment appended, following are excerpts from the above link to:
"United States Patent 3,920,717 - Production of Methanol
Date: November, 1975
Inventor: Charles P. Marion, NY
Assignee: Texaco Development Corporation, NY
Abstract: A continuous process for producing methanol including the steps of producing synthesis gas, i.e. H2 + CO, by the partial oxidation of a hydrocarbonaceous feed in a free-flow non-catalytic synthesis gas generator, adjusting the mole ratio (H2 /CO) of the process gas stream to a value in the range of about greater than 2 to 12 by noncatalytic thermal direct water-gas shift, cooling the process gas stream by indirect heat exchange with water to produce steam for use in the process, purifying the gas stream preferably with a portion of the methanol product, catalytically reacting the purified synthesis gas stream under methanol producing conditions, and separating methanol from liquid impurities.
Claims: A ... process for producing methanol comprising: reacting a hydrocarbonaceous ...feedstock by partial oxidation ... in the presence of ... H2O, CO2, N2, flue gas, cooled off gas from an ore-reduction zone, a portion of cooled and recycled effluent gas from the synthesis gas generator, and mixtures thereof ... to produce an effluent gas stream comprising H2, CO, CO2, and H2O, to produce a methanol feed gas mixture(and processing said feed mixture in a) methanol reaction zone ... . (And) wherein said hydrocarbonaceous feedstock is selected from the group consisting of ... coal tar, coal oil, ... and pumpable slurries of coal ... in water or in a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, and mixtures thereof (and/or) methane, propane, natural gas, water-gas, coke-oven gas, synthesis gas, refinery gas, and mixtures thereof (and/or) organic materials selected from the group consisting of carbohydrates, cellulosic materials, ... and mixtures thereof. (And) wherein the process gas stream (can also contain up to) 12 mole percent CO2.
The present invention pertains to an improved continuous process for the synthesis of methanol by the catalytic reaction of a gaseous mixture principally comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide and generally referred to as synthesis gas.
The term hydrocarbonaceous, as used herein to describe various suitable feedstocks, is intended to include gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons, carbonaceous materials, and mixtures thereof. In fact, substantially any combustible carbon containing organic material, or slurries thereof, may be included within the definition of the term 'hydrocarbonaceous'. For example, there are ... pumpable slurries of ... coal, ...concentrated sewer sludge; and mixtures thereof ... .
Also included ... are ... organic materials including carbohydrates (and) cellulosic materials ... ."
----------
Note that a number of Carbon-recycling organic waste materials can be converted into Methanol, as well, in a process based on Coal.
So, if we want to employ Methanol as an effective absorbent of industrial effluent Carbon Dioxide, and then, as per the Mie University process referenced above, efficiently electrolyze such solutions to produce versatile Methane gas, and thereby recycle the CO2, then we can make, as herein, all of the Methanol we might need for such purposes out of our abundant Coal.
And, of course, we can do other useful things with such Coal-derived Methanol, as well, as detailed, for one instance, in: United States Patent: 4035430 - "United States Patent 4,035,430 - Conversion of Methanol to Gasoline; July, 1977; Mobil Oil Corporation, NY; Abstract: The conversion of methanol to gasoline boiling products ... .".