United States Patent Application: 0070298478
As seen in, for one example: Arkansas Bacteria Convert Coal to Methane | Research & Development | News; it is possible, as we have several times reported, to utilize certain microorganisms, in place of catalysts, to facilitate the conversion of Coal, or synthesis gas derived from Coal, into hydrocarbons.
We instinctively recognize that the same is essentially true of Carbon Dioxide, albeit in a very indirect and energy-wasteful way, in the production of Ethanol, via the fermentation and subsequent distillation of it, from agricultural produce.
However, as we have documented, it is also possible to harness microorganisms to directly recycle CO2, as seen for one instance, in: Bugs May Solve Energy Crisis - Times Online | Research & Development | News; wherein we learn that the well-known American geneticist ""Craig Venter ... has announced the discovery of ancient bacteria that can turn coal into methane, suggesting they may help to solve the world’s energy crisis. ... Venter is also developing some other wonder bugs: (He says that) “We see CO2 as raw material. We have been engineering cells to use CO2 driven by sunlight to make biopolymers, methane and sugars.""
Herein, we see that a biotechnology start-up company in the state of Minnesota has reduced Venter's concept to practice, and proposes a practical, biotechnology-based process for converting, recycling, Carbon Dioxide co-produced during the generation of electricity into Methane.
That has implications which should, by now, be obvious to you; but, which we will again belabor, following excerpts from the link to:
"US Patent Application 20070298478 - Bio-Recycling of Carbon Dioxide Emitted from Power Plants
Date: December, 2007
Inventor: John D. Offerman, et. al., MN
Assignee: Novus Energy, LLC, MN
Abstract: The invention provides a method to decrease emission of carbon dioxide from combustion of fossil fuels or other hydrocarbons and to enhance the efficiency of methane production from anaerobic biodigesters. The invention involves feeding carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas of hydrocarbon fuel combustion to an anaerobic biodigester where biomass is anaerobically fermented to produce methane. Carbon dioxide is an electron acceptor for anaerobic fermentation, and thus some of the carbon dioxide is reduced to methane, which can again be used for fuel. In this way, at least a portion of the exhaust gas CO2 is recycled to form fuel methane instead of being released into the atmosphere. Thus, the net CO2 emission from burning a given amount of fossil fuel is decreased. Adding carbon dioxide to an anaerobic fermentation also increases the efficiency and amount of methane production in the fermentation.
Claims: A method of producing methane comprising: collecting combustion exhaust gas from a hydrocarbon fuel combustion process; separating O2 from CO2 in the exhaust gas to generate a CO2-rich anaerobic exhaust gas fraction; feeding the CO2-rich anaerobic exhaust gas fraction to a fermentation mixture containing methanogenic microorganisms; ... and producing a biogas comprising methane in the fermentation mixture by the anaerobic fermentation of methanogenic microorganisms; wherein feeding the CO2-rich anaerobic exhaust gas fraction to the fermentation mixture increases methane production in the fermentation mixture.
(And) wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is coal.
Background and Summary: The invention provides a method to decrease emission of carbon dioxide from combustion of fossil fuels or other hydrocarbons and to enhance the efficiency of methane production from anaerobic biodigesters. The invention involves feeding carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas of hydrocarbon fuel combustion to an anaerobic biodigester where biomass is anaerobically fermented to produce methane."
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First, John D. Offerman, as independent web sites attest, is an accomplished biotechnology expert with more than 25 years of varied experience in the field.
Simply put:
We can harness known biotechnology to convert the CO2 in Coal combustion exhaust gas into Methane.
And, as in: Pittsburgh 1941 CO2 + Methane = Hydrocarbon Syngas | Research & Development | News; for just one example, out of now many, we see, via disclosure of: "US Patent 2,266,989 - Manufacture of a Gas from CO2 and Methane; 1941; Pittsburgh, PA; Abstract: The present invention relates to the manufacture of gases suitable for the synthesis of higher hydrocarbons or the like, said gases containing definite volumes of carbon monoxide and hydrogen in a certain proportion, by reacting on methane ... with carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon dioxide and steam, so that the methane ... is decomposed into hydrogen and carbon monoxide ... a gas ... especially suitable for the synthesis of hydrocarbons"; that:
We have known, since the early days of WWII, that we can, by reacting Carbon Dioxide, collected from whatever source, with Methane, perhaps now as synthesized, via the process of United States Patent Application 20070298478, as herein, from the Carbon Dioxide found in, for instance, exhaust gas "Emitted from Power Plants", make a synthesis gas "especially suitable for the synthesis of hydrocarbons".