We've previously reported, but only once or twice, on the rather extensive Coal conversion prowess of Pennsylvania's Air Products and Chemicals company.
Many of their documented Carbon conversion technical achievements are so highly-developed and complex that we, with our somewhat severe limitations, are simply unable to understand them fully enough to condense and clarify them for you.
That said, however, we see herein that, not only is the Air Products company knowledgeable about the technology of Coal gasification, they know how to productively utilize Carbon Dioxide, as well.
In confirmation of other sources we have previously cited for you, concerning related technologies, they demonstrate herein that Carbon Dioxide can be productively utilized in the synthesis of Methanol.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,766,154 - Process for the Production of Methanol
Date: August, 1988
Inventor: Leo Bonnell, et. al., PA
Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA
Abstract: The present invention is a process for the production of methanol from a syngas feed containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Basically, the process is the combination of two liquid phase methanol reactors into a staging process, such that each reactor is operated to favor a particular reaction mechanism. In the first reactor, the operation is controlled to favor the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide, and in the second reactor, the operation is controlled so as to favor the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. This staging process results in substantial increases in methanol yield.
Claims: In a staged process for the production of methanol from a syngas feed stream containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, the improvement comprising: passing the syngas feed stream to a first liquid phase methanol reactor to convert a portion of the syngas to methanol (and) passing the first reactor unreacted syngas stream to a second liquid phase methanol reactor to convert at least a portion of the first reactor unreacted syngas stream to methanol and thereby form a methanol-containing second reactor effluent; (and) recovering the first and second methanol streams as product;
(And) wherein the reaction conditions in said first reactor are controlled to favor the conversion of CO to methanol over CO2 to methanol relative to said second reactor and the reaction conditions of said second reactor are controlled to favor the conversion of CO2 to methanol over CO to methanol relative to said first reactor.
There are two primary reaction mechanisms for the production of methanol by hydrogenation of a carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide containing gas mixture ... . For a CO/CO2 /H2 feed gas ... the ideal process for the production of methanol by hydrogenating a CO/CO2 gas feed would be to react the CO/CO2 /H2 feed gas in a first reactor wherein the operating conditions are preferentially set to (reduce) the concentration of CO with respect to CO2 and setting up the appropriate kinetic and thermodynamic conditions for ... further reacting any unconverted feed gas in a second reactor ... thus resulting in an increased yield of methanol.
Summary: The present invention is an improvement to a staged process for the production of methanol from a syngas feed stream containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen."
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Now, here's the deal:
We can, of course, generate a "feed stream containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen" by the simple expedient of Steam-gasifying Coal, in line with our many previous reports documenting that fact.
However, we could, as well, create a "synthetic" Coal syngas consisting of "carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen", by making, or collecting, each of the components separately.
First, the needed Hydrogen can be extracted from Water via electrolysis or photolysis, using technologies that have been developed, and are being further refined for increased economy, by both US Government agencies, including, as we've documented, the USDOD and USDOE; and, by corporate components of the petroleum industry, who need Hydrogen in their processing and refining of natural petroleum.
Second, the Carbon Monoxide is no problem. We can make plenty of it, as we have documented, and as we will further document, simply by blowing Carbon Dioxide over red hot Coal.
And, finally, obtaining the third component, Carbon Dioxide, from which we can also make that second, Carbon Monoxide, component, shouldn't be a problem, should it?
We seem to have so much of it lying about that we're willing to pay to have it collected and hauled off to West Texas, for stuffing down a leaky oil field rat hole.
Savings from not having to pay those shipping charges would pay for a lotof Hydrogen production.
In any case, it is again herein confirmed, by both the United States Government and a major chemical corporation, that Carbon Dioxide can be productively utilized in the synthesis of Methanol.
Methanol, a serviceable vehicle fuel in it's own right, can be further utilized in the production of plastics, where the CO2 consumed in it's original synthesis would be permanently, and productively, sequestered.
And, Methanol can be converted, via, for one instance, ExxonMobil's MTG(r) technology, into Gasoline.
Carbon Dioxide, as seen herein, is a valuable raw material resource.
We really shouldn't want, through Cap & Trade taxation or Geologic Sequestration oil industry subsidies, to punish and cripple our vital Coal-use industries because, relative to natural sources of emission, such as volcanoes, they produce only a little bit of it for us.