We have, by now, made many reports of, and references to, the Carbon conversion technologies that have been developed by Pennsylvania's Air Products and Chemicals company.
A fairly recent example would be: Pennsylvania Hydrogenates CO2 | Research & Development | News; wherein was disclosed: "US Patent 4,766,154 - Process for the Production of Methanol; 1988; Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA".
More will likely follow.
And, in this dispatch, we document that Air Products has established a Carbon Dioxide conversion technology, perhaps an improvement on the earlier CO2 utilization process of USP 4,766,154, that, with some auxiliary processors, could illustrate further a way in which Carbon Dioxide can be utilized in the synthesis of the nearly-precious plastics manufacturing raw material and liquid fuel, Methanol.
As we explain in comments following excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,910,227 - Production of Methanol in a Liquid Phase Reactor
Date: March, 1990
Inventor: Dennis Brown, et. al., PA
Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Allentown
Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for improving reactor volumetric productivity in the production of methanol wherein a synthesis feed gas stream containing hydrogen and carbon oxides is contacted with a catalyst slurry containing ... a powdered copper-containing catalyst ... .
Claims: (A) process for the production of alkanols as a product, co-product or intermediate in a liquid phase reactor wherein a feed gas containing hydrogen and carbon oxides is reacted ... .
(And) wherein the copper-containing catalyst is a copper-/zinc-oxide methanol synthesis catalyst.
Field and Background: The present invention relates to a process for the high volumetric production of methanol from a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon oxides.
Typically, the synthesis gas is bubbled through the catalyst/liquid mixture wherein a portion of the H2, CO2 and/or CO is converted to methanol.
(Note: "H2" and "CO2 and/or CO is converted to methanol". Carbon Monoxide isn't really needed; although, if greater efficiencies can be achieved by using it, then we can make all of it we might want by, as we have many times documented to be feasible, blowing Carbon Dioxide, reclaimed from whatever source, over and through red-hot Coal. CO2 and Coal, in other words, can be made to be the only sources of Carbon needed by this Air Products Methanol synthesis process.)
Summary: The present invention relates to a process for improving ... productivity in the production of methanol wherein a synthesis feed gas stream containing hydrogen and carbon oxides is contacted with a slurry containing ... powdered copper-containing catalyst ... .
Slurries made with the instant catalysts exhibit low viscosity and yield stress which greatly improves reactor performance and allows for use of higher catalyst slurry concentrations than in known processes.
This invention discloses a process for the high volumetric production of methanol as a product, co-product or reaction intermediate wherein a synthesis feed gas containing hydrogen and CO and CO2 is introduced into a reactor containing a slurry of a copper-containing methanol-forming catalyst ... ."
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First, by now, we're certain, gratuitously, we are again compelled to repeat that Methanol, once we have it, can, via, for one example, ExxonMobil's "MTG"(r) process, be converted into Gasoline.
It can also be utilized, as we noted above, in the manufacture of certain plastics, wherein the CO2 consumed in it's original synthesis would be, for practical purposes, eternally, and productively, sequestered.
Further, note that Carbon Dioxide is to be used herein in combination with Carbon Monoxide.
As, for just one example, in our report: Canada CO2 to CO to Synfuel | Research & Development | News; wherein is detailed "United States Patent: 6774149" which, in it's full disclosure, confirms that we can make
"carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide by the chemical formula: CO2+C=2CO where ... C, is red hot coal"; we can make all of the Carbon Monoxide required by Air Products, in their process of USP 4,910,227, to react with Hydrogen and additional Carbon Dioxide, from Carbon Dioxide - and, Coal.
Finally, free Hydrogen is required herein by Air Products, to react with the blended Carbon Oxides in the synthesis of Methanol.
As in our report: Solar-Powered Hydrogen Generation | Research & Development | News; which includes information concerning: "Patent US0549765 - Apparatus for Making Gas; 1895"; which describes "an apparatus for utilizing rays of the sun in the manufacture of gases resulting from the decomposition of water", we've known how to decompose plain old Water, H2O, into Oxygen and Hydrogen, through the use of abundant and freely-available solar energy, for more than a full century.
In light of all the hoopla about collecting and compressing our Coal-fired power plant Carbon Dioxide, and then shipping it all the way to West Texas, all at our Coal Country expense, just to help those good ole boys out with what is, really, their "secondary petroleum recovery", labeled for our consumption as "Geologic CO2 Sequestration", all coerced under the economic whip of the Cap & Trade taxation of our vital Coal-use industries and their customers, why isn't, instead, converting CO2, here, in US Coal Country, into Methanol, through the use of the processes of US Patents 4,910,227; 6,774,149; and, 549,765, the focus of press and political attention?