We have many times reported the existence of various "reforming" technologies, wherein Carbon Dioxide, as arises in a very small way relative to some natural sources of emission, such as volcanoes, from our varied and productive uses of Coal, can be reclaimed, and, through reactions with light hydrocarbon gases, such as Methane, with or without the addition of Steam, be recycled in the synthesis of valuable higher hydrocarbons.
Such technology, as we have documented more than once, has been known to the US petroleum industry since the post-WWII era; and, we see herein that their interest in that technology continues, with improvements being made on a bi-reforming process that converts CO2, through reaction with light hydrocarbon gases, into a valuable hydrocarbon synthesis gas suitable for catalytic condensation, via any one of multiple technologies now known and already being used by the petroleum industry in some modern refineries, into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Additional comment, and a reference, follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 5,614,163 - Process for Making Synthesis Gas
Date: March, 1997
Inventors: Alakananda Bhattacharyya, et. al., Illinois
Assignee: Amoco Corporation, Chicago
Abstract: A process is disclosed for preparing a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide by partial oxidation of hydrocarbyl compounds using a source of oxygen comprising molecular oxygen, carbon dioxide, or mixtures thereof in the presence of a catalyst comprising thermally stable mixtures formed by heat treating a hydrotalcite-like compound.
Claims: A process for partial oxidation of at least one hydrocarbyl compound with a source of oxygen which comprises the steps of ... feeding one or more gaseous or vaporizable hydrocarbyl compounds and an oxygen-containing gas comprising molecular oxygen, carbon dioxide, or mixtures thereof, into a suitable reaction zone containing a catalyst, ... reacting at least one of the hydrocarbyl compounds in the presence of the catalyst to form partial oxidation products, and expelling a product-containing gas mixture from the reaction zone, and ... recovering from the product-containing mixture a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide ... .
(And) wherein the oxygen-containing gas comprises carbon dioxide.
(And) wherein partial oxidation of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of methane and ethane is carried out ... .
(And) recovering ... a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide ... .
Background: Synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and molecular hydrogen (H2), is a valuable industrial feed stock for the manufacture of a variety of useful chemicals. For example, synthesis gas can be used to prepare methanol ... as well as higher molecular weight hydrocarbons.
Perhaps the most common commercial source of synthesis gas is the steam reforming of coal... ."
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Well, it ain't too dang common in US Coal Country, we opine.
But, we do want to note that catalysts are specified for the reactions described herein by Amoco. They are not, though, too exotic, and can include "magnesium, nickel, and copper" and "iron, nickel" and "cobalt".
Further, since Amoco mentions Coal in this Carbon Dioxide recycling patent, we note that, via separate dispatch today, we are making report of: "United States Patent: 4218388 - Preparing Hydrocarbons from Gasification of Coal; 1980; Shell Oil Company", which discloses a technology wherein Coal is converted into Gasoline, but with hydrocarbon gases being generated as a by-product - hydrocarbon gases which could, we suggest, be utilized in this Amoco technology as a co-reactant with reclaimed CO2, to form a synthesis gas valuable, as above, in the "manufacture of ... methanol".
Methanol, we remind you, can, via ExxonMobil's "MTG"(r) technology, among others, be converted into Gasoline. Or, Methanol can be used in the manufacture of a variety of useful plastics, wherein the Carbon Dioxide consumed by the Amoco process herein would be chemically, and in theory forever, sequestered.