United States Patent Application: 0060235091
We first refer you to our recent post:
Southern California Recycles More CO2 | Research & Development | News; wherein we disclosed details of: United States Patent: 7608743 - "Efficient and Selective Chemical Recycling of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol, Dimethyl Ether and Derived Products"; 2009; Inventors: George Olah and Surya Prakash; Assignee: The University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Abstract: An efficient and environmentally beneficial method of recycling and producing methanol from varied sources of carbon dioxide including flue gases of fossil fuel burning powerplants, industrial exhaust gases or the atmosphere itself. Converting carbon dioxide by chemical or electrochemical reduction secondary treatment to produce essentially methanol, dimethyl ether and derived products. "
Herein, via the initial link in this dispatch, we see that Olah and Prakash had, several years prior to issuance of United States Patent: 7608743, applied for US Patent protection on a very closely-related Carbon Dioxide recycling technology.
Our varied insufficiencies have so far prevented us from determining if the US Patent Application we enclose in this dispatch is the one that ultimately matured into United States Patent: 7608743; but, although the titles of the issued patent and this application are exactly the same, there are what we take to be significant differences in wording in the full Disclosures of each, which seem to distinguish them.
And, those variances, from our point of view, warrant separate report. So, with comment appended, following are excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch to:
"US Patent Application 20060235091 - Efficient and Selective Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol
Date: October, 2006
Inventors: George Olah and Surya Prakash, CA
Abstract: An environmentally beneficial method of producing methanol from varied sources of carbon dioxide including flue gases of fossil fuel burning powerplants, industrial exhaust gases or the atmosphere itself. Converting carbon dioxide by electrochemical reduction produces formic acid acid and some formaldehyde and methanol mixtures. The formic acid can be used as source of carbon as well as hydrogen to produce methanol, dimethyl ether and other products.
Claims: An environmentally beneficial method of producing methanol by reductive conversion of an available source of carbon dioxide, which comprises: (A) reducing carbon dioxide under conditions sufficient to produce a reaction mixture containing formic acid with concomittant formation of formaldehyde and small amounts of methanol and methane, followed, without separation of the reaction mixture, by a treatment step conducted under conditions sufficient to convert the formaldehyde to formic acid and methanol; or (B) augmenting the reaction mixture of (A) by reacting the formaldehyde with some of the formic acid as a hydrogen source, without separation of the reaction mixture, into methanol, and by reacting some of the formic acid with methanol to form methyl formate, followed by catalytically hydrogenating the methyl formate under conditions sufficient to form methanol; or (C) generating carbon monoxide from the carbon dioxide through a high temperature reaction with carbon, reacting the carbon monoxide with methanol produced in (A) under conditions sufficient to form methyl formate, followed by catalytic hydrogenation of the methyl formate under conditions sufficient to form methanol.
Claims: The method .. wherein the carbon dioxide is obtained from an exhaust stream from fossil fuel burning power or industrial plant ... and the carbon dioxide obtained from such sources is reduced by catalytic, photochemical or electrochemical reduction.
(And, the) method ... wherein the available carbon dioxide source is the atmosphere and the carbon dioxide is obtained by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide onto a suitable adsorbent followed by treating the adsorbent to release the adsorbed carbon dioxide therefrom.
(And) wherein the carbon dioxide is first reduced to carbon monoxide with carbon ... .
The method ... wherein the hydrogen needed for the hydrogenation of methyl formate is obtained by decomposing at least some of the formic acid from the reaction mixture."
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We are compelled to end our excerpts there, since some facts warrant emphasis, even though the full Disclosure goes on, at considerable and interesting length, to explain the great utility of Dimethyl Ether as a substitute Diesel fuel, and the value of Methanol, from which the Dimethyl Ether is made, as both a fuel and a chemical manufacturing feedstock.
First, note, in confirmation of several of our earlier reports, that Formic Acid is one of the primary products which can rather easily be made from Carbon Dioxide.
And, even though, as described herein, such Formic Acid can be utilized in reactions with the Methanol and other products of Carbon Dioxide recycling, as in "reacting some of the formic acid with methanol to form methyl formate, followed by catalytically hydrogenating the methyl formate under conditions sufficient to form methanol", to produce greater quantities of Methanol, we remind you, as in, for just one example, our recent report: England Improves Coal Liquid Hydrogenation with Formic Acid | Research & Development | News; that such CO2-derived Formic Acid can also be utilized in the hydrogenation and liquefaction of Coal.
Thus, any "hydrogen needed for the hydrogenation of" various products can be "obtained by decomposing at least some of the formic acid", which is, herein, produced by chemically "reducing carbon dioxide".
Furthermore, since this very modern technology relies on a process, as stated: "wherein the carbon dioxide is first reduced to carbon monoxide with carbon", we remind you that such a Carbon Dioxide recycling strategy is - - as seen in our report: 1915 CO2 Recycling | Research & Development | News; wherein is detailed: Patent US1163922 - "Producing Carbon Monoxid from Carbon Dioxid; 1915; (A method for reacting) mixtures of CO2 (and) other gases, of which one may be nitrogen (such as from) where carbon or carbonaceous material is burnt, such as the gases of combustion from boilers" with a heated "mass of carbon (coke, coal or charcoal)" - - based on nearly ancient science.
The fact that it isn't openly discussed and reported in venues that concern themselves with the specious issues of Cap & Trade Coal industry taxation and Geologic Sequestration Oil industry subsidization is astounding.
In any case, as confirmed herein by a Nobel Laureate and his colleagues, if we really are wondering what to do with our supposed abundance of Carbon Dioxide, we can collect it from the "flue gases of fossil fuel burning powerplants", and then convert it, via the process of United States Patent Application: 0060235091, into such valuable, and apparently desperately-needed, liquid fuels as Methanol and Dimethyl Ether.