We have previously documented the fact, as can be confirmed in our report:
Standard Oil Carbon Monoxide + Water = Gasoline | Research & Development | News; that,
Carbon Monoxide, once we have it, can be made to react with plain old Water, and, through such reaction, converted into useful and needed hydrocarbon compounds - such as Gasoline, for example, as is specifically identified in that Standard Oil process.
We have also, we remind you, documented that Carbon Dioxide, which we can't seem to figure out what to do with, can be converted into such useful Carbon Monoxide through multiple chemical reaction pathways. It can be so chemically "reduced" either through direct, catalyzed application of heat and light energy, as in our earlier report:
USDOE Recycles CO2 to Methanol with Solar Power | Research & Development | News; wherein is revealed: "United States Patent: 6066187 - Solar Reduction of CO2; 2000"; a technical process which "permits the use of sunlight to photolyze CO2" into Carbon Monoxide;
or, through reaction with red-hot Coal, as seen, for just one instance, in our report of:
More Pre-WWII CO2 Recycling | Research & Development | News; which details: "United States Patent 2,128,262 -Carbon monoxide manufacture; 1938"; wherein is disclosed "an efficient and economical process for the manufacture of carbon monoxide of high purity by the reduction of carbon dioxide" which is accomplished by "passing ... carbon dioxide through (a hot,) incandescent body of coke".
Furthermore, as for example in:
Solar-Powered Hydrogen Generation | Research & Development | News; wherein is reported "United States Patent 7,726,127 - Solar Power for Thermochemical Production of Hydrogen; 2010;
we know that Hydrogen, as well, can be generated by Solar energy, when it is used to split Water into it's atomic components.
Herein, via the initial link in this dispatch, we learn that all of those concepts can be combined in a process that uses Solar energy to react reclaimed Carbon Dioxide with both Water and Coal, and thereby generates a synthesis gas suitable in composition for catalytic condensation, via one of multiple known techniques, into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Brief comment follows excerpts from that link to:
"US Patent 4,177,120 - Photolytic Process for Gasification of Carbonaceous Material
Date: December, 1979
Inventor: Steven Zenty, Maryland
Assignee: Solarco Corporation, Rockville
Abstract: Process and apparatus are disclosed for converting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide by subjecting the carbon dioxide to radiation in the presence of carbonaceous material such as coal to form carbon monoxide. The preferred form of radiation is solar energy, and the process is preferably carried out in an atmosphere essentially free of oxygen.
Claims: A photolytic process for the gasification of coal comprising the step of directly solar irradiating coal and carbon dioxide in an air free environment, and at elevated temperatures to produce carbon monoxide.
(And, a) photolytic process for gasification of coal comprising the step of directly solar irradiating coal and a hydrogen donor in an air free environment and at elevated temperatures.
(And) wherein said hydrogen donor is water and the products obtained by the process include carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
The coal can be effectively desulfurized by irradiating it with solar radiation in the absence of molecular oxygen and in the presence of CO2, which process preferentially gasifies sulfur in coal to produce sulfur oxides (and) if irradiation continues after the preferential removal of sulfur from coal, carbon gasification according to reactions previously described will take place."
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We confess that Solarco's quite lengthy full Disclosure ranges over a number of topics, including the fact that Solar energy can be used to completely dissociate Carbon Dioxide, through Carbon Monoxide, into, if wanted, just Carbon and Oxygen.
However, it does also confirm other of our reports, including:
USDOE Converts Coal to Gasoline with Solar Power | Research & Development | News; wherein is seen:
"United States Patent 4,229,184 - Apparatus and Method for Solar Coal Gasification; 1980; Assignee: The USA; Abstract: Apparatus for using focused solar radiation to gasify coal and other carbonaceous materials. Incident solar radiation is focused ... onto the surface of a vertically-moving bed of coal, or a fluidized bed of coal, contained within a gasification reactor.
Steam introduced into the gasification reactor reacts with the heated coal to produce gas consisting mainly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, commonly called "synthesis gas", which can be converted to methane, methanol, gasoline, and other useful products".
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And, since we have additional, similar, reports in process, from other sources as authoritative as the USDOE inventors of United States Patent 4,229,184, we wanted, herein, to again affirm, through the Disclosure of United States Patent 4,177,120, that:
Carbon Dioxide, Coal and Water - which serves as the Hydrogen donor, can all be combined and subjected to treatment with environmentally-derived energy, and made thereby to form a hydrocarbon synthesis gas, composed of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen, which is suitable for, as in the process of USP 4,229,184, catalytic condensation into such "useful products" as "methane, methanol" and "gasoline".