As we've more recently documented, in:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Reaffirms CO2 to Gasoline Technical Viability | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20130281553 - Method of Producing Synthetic Fuels and Organic Chemicals from Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide; Date: October 24, 2013; Assignee: Los Alamos National Security, LLC, NM; Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a method of producing synthetic fuels and organic chemicals from atmospheric carbon dioxide. Government Interests: This invention was made with government support under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention. A method for producing a chemical product comprising the steps of: extracting carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere; producing hydrogen gas; combining said carbon dioxide gas and said hydrogen gas to produce a synthesis gas; and converting said synthesis gas to said product. wherein said product is selected from the group consisting of fuel, diesel fuel, jet fuel, gasoline, petrochemicals, plastics, butane, methanol, ethylene, propylene, aromatic compounds, petrochemical derivatives, derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof"; and:West Virginia Coal Association | NASA Improves CO2 to Methane Conversion | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20120029095 - Sabatier Process and Apparatus for Controlling Exothermic Reaction; 2012; Inventors: Christian Junaedi, et. al., Connecticut; Abstract: A Sabatier process involving contacting carbon dioxide and hydrogen in a first reaction zone with a first catalyst bed at a temperature greater than a first designated temperature; feeding the effluent from the first reaction zone into a second reaction zone, and contacting the effluent with a second catalyst bed at a temperature equal to or less than a second designated temperature, so as to produce a product stream comprising water and methane. The first and second catalyst beds each individually comprise an ultra-short-channel-length metal substrate. An apparatus for controlling temperature in an exothermic reaction, such as the Sabatier reaction, is disclosed. Government Interests: This invention was made with support from the U.S. government under U.S. Contract No. NNX10CF25P sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The U.S. Government holds certain rights in this invention";
We the People, through our own United States Government, own the technologies which would enable us to begin converting Carbon Dioxide, as arises in only a small way, relative some natural sources of emission, such as the Earth's inexorable and un-taxable processes of planetary volcanism, from our economically essential use of Coal in the generation of truly abundant and truly reliable electric power, into anything, quite literally anything, like "diesel fuel, jet fuel, gasoline", which we mortgage our grandchildren's economic future to the alien nations of OPEC to keep ourselves supplied with in the here and now, and, like "methane", which we now fuel environmental concerns about radium contamination of our groundwater by fracking out of the abyssal shales.
As even a cursory read of the above "United States Patent Application 20130281553 - Method of Producing Synthetic Fuels and Organic Chemicals from Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide" and "United States Patent Application 20120029095 - Sabatier Process and Apparatus for Controlling Exothermic Reaction" will reveal is, that, our US Government's technologies for the conversion of Carbon Dioxide into stuff like substitute natural gas Methane and into OPEC-beating Gasoline in those efficient processes requires a supply of elemental, molecular Hydrogen.
And, as seen for just a few examples in:
West Virginia Coal Association | NASA Hydrogen from Water and Sunlight | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,045,315 - Solar Photolysis of Water; 1977; NASA; Abstract: Hydrogen is produced by the solar photolysis of water"; and:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE 1976 Thermochemical Hydrogen from Water | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 3,996,343 - Process for Thermochemically Producing Hydrogen;1976; Assignee: The United States of America; Abstract: Hydrogen is produced by the reaction of water with chromium sesquioxide and strontium oxide. The hydrogen producing reaction is combined with other reactions to produce a closed chemical cycle for the thermal decomposition of water";
both the USDOE, via it's precedent agencies, and NASA long ago began to address the technologies for extracting Hydrogen from Water, H2O, in processes that could be driven by environmental, or renewable, energies.
Herein, we learn that the USDOE has continued to refine and improve such processes, and has developed complete systems for the generation of Hydrogen from Water in what could be interpreted to be industrial scale processes.
Comment follows and is inserted within excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch to the recent:
"United States Patent 8,444,846 - Method and System for Producing Hydrogen Using Sodium Ion Separation Membranes
Date: May 21, 2013
Inventors: Dennis Bingham, et.al., Idaho and Utah
Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, Idaho Falls, ID
(Battelle Memorial Institute - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; "In addition to operating its own research facilities, as of 2013, Battelle manages or co-manages on behalf of the United States Department of Energy the following national laboratories: Brookhaven National Laboratory (through Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC – a collaboration between Battelle and Stony Brook University), (and, among others) Idaho National Laboratory (through the Battelle Energy Alliance – a collaboration between Battelle, BWX Technologies, Inc., Washington Group International, Electric Power Research Institute and an alliance of universities)".)Abstract: A method of producing hydrogen from sodium hydroxide and water is disclosed. The method comprises separating sodium from a first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream in a sodium ion separator, feeding the sodium produced in the sodium ion separator to a sodium reactor, reacting the sodium in the sodium reactor with water, and producing a second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream and hydrogen. The method may also comprise reusing the second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream by combining the second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream with the first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream. A system of producing hydrogen is also disclosed.
Government Interests/Government Rights: This invention was made under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between Alberta Limited and Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE- AC07-051D14517, awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government has certain rights in the invention.
Claims: A method of producing hydrogen, comprising: feeding a first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream into an anolyte chamber of an electrolytic cell comprising the anolyte chamber, a catholyte chamber, and a membrane between the anolyte chamber and the catholyte chamber; feeding a substantially inert liquid compound into the catholyte chamber of the electrolytic cell; applying an electric potential to the electrolytic cell to form sodium cations, water, and oxygen in the anolyte chamber and to selectively transport the sodium cations from the anolyte chamber, across the membrane, and into the catholyte chamber; combining the sodium cations with electrons in the catholyte chamber to produce liquid-phase sodium; and combining the liquid-phase sodium with water to produce hydrogen and a second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream.
The method ... further comprising combining the second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream with the first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream.
The method ... wherein feeding a substantially inert liquid compound into the catholyte chamber of the electrolytic cell comprises: feeding mineral oil into the catholyte chamber of the electrolytic cell (and) further comprising submerging the liquid-phase sodium below at least a portion of the mineral oil within the catholyte chamber.
The method ... wherein combining the liquid-phase sodium with water to produce hydrogen and a second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream comprises: feeding the liquid-phase sodium and the water into a reactor; reacting the liquid-phase sodium and the water in the reactor; and generating the hydrogen and the second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream.
A method of producing hydrogen, comprising: providing an electrochemical cell comprising an anolyte chamber, a catholyte chamber, and a ceramic membrane separating the anolyte chamber and the catholyte chamber; feeding a first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream into the anolyte chamber; feeding mineral oil into the catholyte chamber; applying an electric potential to the electrochemical cell for causing sodium cations to transfer across the ceramic membrane; forming sodium in the catholyte chamber; feeding sodium from the catholyte chamber into a reactor; feeding water into the reactor; reacting the sodium and the water to produce a second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream and hydrogen; and combining the second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream with the first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream.
The method ... wherein applying an electric potential to the electrochemical cell comprises supplying an electric potential to the electrochemical cell from at least one of solar power, geothermal power, hydroelectric power, wind power, and ... further comprising heating the electrochemical cell using heat produced from reacting the sodium and the water.
A system for producing hydrogen, comprising: at least one electrolytic cell configured to convert aqueous sodium hydroxide into sodium and water and comprising: an anolyte chamber containing at least a portion of the aqueous sodium hydroxide; a catholyte chamber containing a substantially inert liquid compound; and a membrane between the anolyte chamber and the catholyte chamber; at least one energy power source coupled to the at least one electrolytic cell and configured to supply an electrical current to the at least one electrolytic cell; and at least one reactor downstream of the at least one electrolytic cell and configured to react sodium produced by the at least one electrolytic cell with water to produce hydrogen gas and aqueous sodium hydroxide.
Field and background: The present invention relates to a method and system of producing hydrogen gas. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and a system of producing hydrogen gas from sodium hydroxide and water using a sodium ion separation membrane.
(Concerning the "sodium ion separation membrane", those are commercially available products. See for one example:
Sodium Separation :: Ceramic Membrane :: Ceramatec; "NaSelect ceramic membranes have been developed to produce Sodium metal using an electrolytic cell ... . The ceramic membrane operates at a greater than 95% transfer efficiency".
Note the above is offered by the company "Ceramatec"; about which, see, again for one example:
West Virginia Coal Association | Utah 2011 CO2 + H2O = Hydrocarbon Syngas | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 8,075,746 - Electrochemical Cell for Production of Synthesis Gas Using Atmospheric Air and Water; 2011; Assignee: Ceramatec, Inc.; Abstract: A method is provided for synthesizing synthesis gas from carbon dioxide obtained from atmospheric air or other available carbon dioxide source and water using a sodium-conducting electrochemical cell".)
Summary: The present invention relates to a method of producing hydrogen from sodium hydroxide and water. The method comprises separating sodium from a first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream in a sodium ion separator, feeding the sodium produced in the sodium ion separator to a sodium reactor, reacting the sodium in the sodium reactor with water, and producing a second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream and hydrogen. In some embodiments, the method further includes reusing the second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream by combining the second aqueous sodium hydroxide stream with the first aqueous sodium hydroxide stream. In such embodiments, water, hydrogen, and oxygen are the only products produced by the present invention.
In association with the methods of this invention, a system of producing hydrogen from sodium hydroxide and water is also provided. The system includes a sodium ion separator configured for separating sodium from a first sodium hydroxide stream and a reactor configured for reacting sodium with water to produce a second sodium hydroxide stream and hydrogen. In further embodiments, the system comprises an electrolytic cell for separating the sodium from the first sodium hydroxide stream. The cell comprises a catholyte compartment containing a cathode and mineral oil, an anolyte compartment containing an anode and sodium hydroxide, and a sodium-selective ceramic membrane separating the anolyte compartment and the catholyte compartment that selectively permits the flow of sodium cations from the anolyte compartment to the catholyte compartment upon application of a voltage across the cell.
By way of non-limiting example, the cell .. may be operated at a temperature of about 80 to about 100 C.
Electricity for operating the electrolytic cell in the hydrogen generation system may be produced or obtained from numerous sources including conventional electricity sources such as coal-fired (power) plants ... . In some embodiments, electricity may be generated or obtained from ... renewable energy sources, such as solar power, geothermal power, hydroelectric power (or) wind power ... .
In still further embodiments, energy produced from the reaction in the sodium reactor may be harvested and used to supply the sodium ion separator with energy."
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In sum, using Sodium metal, in conjunction with Sodium separation ceramic membranes, to extract Hydrogen from Water, can enable the Hydrogen production process to proceed with a much lower demand for externally-supplied energy than other, more direct, Water electrolysis systems.
The reaction between Sodium and H2O, which generates Hydrogen, is exothermic, which allows for the harvesting of "energy produced from the reaction in the sodium reactor" and further economies.
And, again, once we have Hydrogen, as produced so efficiently from Water, perhaps using the specified "solar power, geothermal power, hydroelectric power (or) wind power" to supply any needed energy, we can use that Hydrogen in processes like that disclosed in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | August 2011, CO2-to-Gasoline US Patent Awarded | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 7,989,507 - Production of Fuel Materials Utilizing Waste Carbon Dioxide; 2011; Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Germany; Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for utilizing CO2 waste comprising recovering carbon dioxide from an industrial process that produces a waste stream comprising carbon dioxide (and) producing hydrogen using a renewable energy resource and producing a hydrocarbon material utilizing the produced hydrogen and the recovered carbon dioxide. The process ... wherein the producing hydrogen further comprises producing oxygen as a by-product and using the oxygen in a downstream process. The present invention relates to a method and system for producing fuel materials from waste carbon dioxide using renewable resources, and more particularly to a method and system for producing fuel materials from carbon dioxide recovered from a waste stream of an industrial process and hydrogen produced using renewable energy resources. In one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a novel, efficient, and economical method and system for producing useful fuel materials, i.e. methane (and) gasoline products ... from carbon dioxide recovered from carbon dioxide-containing waste streams via hydrogen produced by renewable energy resources";
to convert even more Carbon Dioxide into "methane (and) gasoline". Or, if we can't make enough hydrocarbons that way, we could use extra Hydrogen in processes like that disclosed in our report of: .
West Virginia Coal Association | Pittsburgh Gulf Oil 1953 CoalTL | Research & Development; concerning: "US Patent 2,654,675 - Process for Preparing Liquid Hydrocarbons from Coal; 1953; Gulf Research and Development Company, Pittsburgh; This invention involves an improved combination of steps for preparing liquid hydrocarbon fuels from coal. Claims: The process of preparing a hydrocarbon fuel from coal which comprises in combination subjecting a first portion of coal to destructive hydrogenation by treatment with hydrogen (and) subjecting a second portion of coal to a simultaneous solvent extraction-hydrogenation";and make even more of them out of some of our abundant Coal.