We have several times, in the course of our reportage, made reference to the unicorn we reveal herein.
Almost fully one quarter of a century ago, our United States Government, through the Patent Office, confirmed that Carbon Dioxide could be effectively recycled into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Carbon Dioxide can be so efficiently recycled via the technology disclosed herein, that, not only could individual vehicles be made self-sufficient in their supply of liquid fuel, but, a ship could be built which would be able supply an entire fleet with liquid hydrocarbons made out of nothing but Water and Carbon Dioxide.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,568,522 - Synfuel Production Ship
Date: February, 1986
Inventor: Marshall Corbett, NY
Assignee: Grumman Aerospace Corporation, NY
Abstract: A vessel, vehicle or aircraft is self-equipped with means for producing and storing synthetic fuel generated from the synthesis of carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
Claims: A ship for producing gasoline while sailing, comprising: a plurality of absorption ... towers ... to capture air ... .
(And) causing CO2 in the air to be absorbed by (a specified chemical) solution which results in a carbonate solution of sodium bicarbonate/hypo carbonate ... .
(And) means for ... stripping CO2 as a first byproduct from the carbonate solution ...;
(And) means connected to the stripping means for transferring the CO2 to a methanol converter;
(And) electrolysis means for disassociating H2 and O2 from water provided to it;
(And) means connected to the electrolysis means for transferring the H2 to the methanol converter;
(And) a hydrocarbon synthesizer connected to an outlet of the methanol converter for converting methanol to gasoline.
Field: The present invention relates to synthetic fuel production and more particularly to a transportation medium such as a vessel, vehicle or aircraft that manufactures and stores such synthetic fuel on-board."
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In point of fact, this invention is actually based on an even earlier patent for Carbon Dioxide recycling technology that was awarded to the same inventors, and which was also assigned to Grumman.
We will submit report of that precedent technology in coming days, but, we wanted to note that Grumman, in their full Disclosure herein, posits that "energy for the synthetic fuel production is obtained from an on-board nuclear reactor".
We say nuts to nukes.
We have plenty of energy available in US Coal Country to power such "synthetic fuel production" from Carbon Dioxide.
For instance: How hard would it be to fit a paddlewheel onto the side of Grumman's vessel, connect that paddlewheel to a generator, park the boat in the Ohio River near a concentration of Coal-fired power plants; and, then, let the flow of river water generate the electricity needed to suck CO2 out of the breeze and electrolyze some of the river water into Hydrogen; then, pump both the CO2 and the Hydrogen "to the methanol converter"; and, finally, send the Methanol directly to "a hydrocarbon synthesizer connected to an outlet of the methanol converter for converting methanol to gasoline"?
Other, more "grounded" options exist, as well, of course.
But, herein is a US Government-certified and approved option for all of us in US Coal Country:
A profitable option to our ongoing economic enslavement to OPEC and Big Oil.
A productive option to unfair Cap & Trade taxation of our vital Coal-use industries.
And, an option to the enslavement, through mandated Carbon Dioxide Geologic Sequestration, of our vital Coal-use industries, into the service of Big Oil and his subsidized scrounging of residual petroleum in nearly tapped-out natural deposits.
We do have options. And, it's far past time we started learning about, and exercising, a few of them.
"United States Patent 7,479,570 - Process for the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide
Date: January, 2009
Inventor: Seiji Ogo, et. al., Japan
Assignee: Japan Science and Technology Agency
Abstract: Carbon dioxide and water are mixed with an organometallic complex (of varied and specified compositions). This makes it possible to directly reduce carbon dioxide in water.
Claims: A reducing process of carbon dioxide, comprising mixing carbon dioxide and water with an organometallic complex ... so as to reduce carbon dioxide so that formic acid or alkali salt thereof is formed.
Field: The present invention relates to a reducing process of carbon dioxide with an organometallic complex, and in particular, relates to a reducing process of carbon dioxide in water under mild conditions."
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We forego reproduction of all the technical complexities. But, keep a few things in mind:
By "mild conditions", the inventors mean that you don't need a lot of heat and pressure, i.e., costly energy, to convert Carbon Dioxide, via this process, into Formic Acid.
And, the reaction is accomplished with a solution of "carbon dioxide in water" - as might, we suggest, be obtained by spraying water though plain old air, a concept we will in future dispatches further document to be feasible; or, as might be had in the effluent from a smoke stack exhaust gas scrubber.
We note that Formic Acid does have other uses. For instance, it can be employed as a chemical component in fuel cell-type batteries.
However, for our purposes, you should also keep in mind that:
We can, as herein, make Formic Acid from Carbon Dioxide.
We can, via the Solvay Process, make Sodium Carbonate out of, among other things, Carbon Dioxide.
Formic Acid and Sodium Carbonate can be reacted to make Sodium Formate.
And, Sodium Formate can be used in the process of USP 4,011,153 to hydrogenate and liquefy Coal.
Carbon Dioxide, thereby. is a valuable raw material resource.
We really don't want to be, through mandated Geologic Sequestration, stuffing all of it down a West Texas oil field rat hole; or, to, through Cap & Trade, be taxing our vital Coal-use industries out of existence because they produce, relative to natural sources of emission, such as volcanoes, just a little bit of it for us.