We have many times documented that processes exist whereby Carbon Dioxide can be efficiently transformed into useful hydrocarbons, including hydrocarbon fuels - which is what, as in a few of our earlier reports, NASA plans to do with it on the planet Mars and our US Navy intends to with it aboard some of its ships at sea.
As in some of our more recent reports, the nation of Iceland, who, with their many volcanic sites, are blessed with more natural CO2 than we could ever dream of making with all of our Coal-fired power plants put together, intends to start making Gasoline out of Carbon Dioxide and exporting that Gasoline to Europe.
Herein, we see that, as confirmed by our own US Government, as embodied in the Patent Office, a scientist, whom we have previously cited and whose described process might thus not sound unfamiliar, in Japan, a nation founded mostly on islands built by volcanoes - i.e., Mount Fuji - where they are also thus blessed with a great abundance of naturally-occurring Carbon Dioxide, has, like the Icelandic inventors, figured out how to efficiently convert such natural CO2 into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 7,488,404 - Process for Hydrogenating Carbon Dioxide
Date: February, 2009
Inventor: Masayoshi Matsui
Abstract: A process for hydrogenating carbon dioxide to generate methanol. In the process, a strip of copper base plate is transported by the groups of rotating drive rollers to deposit porous metallic zinc on the copper base plate. Hydrogen is generated from the porous metallic zinc upon electrochemical reactions in the inner space sealed with the above groups of rollers. Simultaneously, zinc oxide and copper oxide catalysts are formed on the porous metallic zinc. Carbon dioxide is introduced into the sealed inner space under high-temperature and high-pressure to generate methanol by hydrogenation.
Field: The present invention relates to a process for hydrogenating carbon dioxide using a synthetic catalyst mainly composed of a mixed oxide of zinc and copper, thereby generating methanol as a main product, and an apparatus therefore.
Background: Examples of conventional techniques for hydrogenating carbon dioxide in order to fix carbon dioxide include photoelectrochemical techniques utilizing natural energy, such as sunlight, and biochemical techniques utilizing microorganisms.
The present invention considerably differs from conventional processing techniques as mentioned above in ideas. An object of the present invention is to provide a process for hydrogenating carbon dioxide that is capable of processing a large quantity of carbon dioxide to generate a large quantity of methanol as a main product, thereby engaging with the rapidly spreading issue of global warming. It is another object of the present invention to yield significant economic effects through the use of the thus obtained methanol. Such methanol has potential to be an important fuel for the future, and can be used as an alternative to fossil fuels, an agricultural material for growing plants, and for other basic materials. Thereby, use of the aforementioned process can be developed as a social enterprise.
(A "social enterprise" we interject, that would be far more productive than other "social enterprise"s, such as Government-mandated Cap & Trade taxation and Geologic Sequestration.)
(H)ydrogen gas is generated at high temperature and high pressure (via a disclosed catalytic electrolysis from Water). When carbon dioxide is injected in the presence of an oxide of zinc or copper and a variety of additional substances as promoters as (specified), hydrogen reacts rapidly with carbon dioxide, and methanol is generated as a main product ... .
- a large quantity of carbon dioxide can be rapidly processed without any special equipment. In addition, the present invention is characterized in that methanol can be mass-produced as a useful main product -
The present invention is intended to yield a large quantity of methanol as well as possess a high capacity for processing carbon dioxide...
Carbon monoxide or a mixed gas composed of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide can also be used. Also, the product generated according to the present invention is not limited to methanol. Methane, formaldehyde, ethanol, and other substances can also be generated."
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As in our previous reports of Matsui's, and similar, technology, the needed Hydrogen is electrolyzed from Water; and, though not represented in our excerpts, and again in confirmation of some of our earlier reports of similar technology from other sources, it is disclosed that some of the reaction sequences within the total process are exothermic, and, it is proposed that such heat energy could be harvested and used to help drive and promote some of the other reactions, such as the generation of Hydrogen from Water.
Finally, there is nothing new disclosed herein, relative to other technologies developed by US Department of Defense contractors United Technologies and Hamilton Standard, who, as we have documented, also propose combining Carbon Dioxide harvested from the environment with Hydrogen obtained via the electrolysis of water, in order to synthesize liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
But, as herein, since Iceland proposes exporting liquid fuel made from Carbon Dioxide to Europe, as revealed in one of our very recent reports, to just where, do you suppose, the Japanese contemplate exporting all of their CO2-derived liquid fuel?