Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information - Sponsored by OSTI
Over a period of years in the 1990's, West Virginia University developed technologies for "The Economical Production of Alcohol Fuels from Coal-Derived Synthesis Gas", for the United States Department of Energy, under Contract Number DE-AC22-91PC91034.
The Final Report, linked both above and immediately below, is far too large for us, with our limited technical capacities, to download and manage.
And, a caution: There seem to be two versions of the final report available; or, there is some discrepancy in the USDOE's catalog system. Separate searches have led us to two different file listings. The other bills itself as being "6Mb" in size.
Process for co-production of higher alcohols, methanol and ammonia - Patent 4886651
We've previously documented the expertise of Pennsylvania's Air Products corporation in the technology of coal conversion, via indirect synthesis gas production techniques.
As it turns out, they have parlayed their industrial gas chemistry skills into a technology for recycling Carbon Dioxide into valuable liquid fuels and chemicals.
And, they officially did so more than two decades ago, as evidenced via the enclosed link and following excerpt detailing their United States Patent on Carbon Dioxide recycling technology. We confess the quite lengthy patent description contains many technical details. Our excerpt, with some comment interspersed and following, is highly edited; and, like much of what we report to you, begs study by qualified individuals who could explain it more fully and clearly to the rest of us.
CATALYST FOR METHANATION OF CARBON OXIDES, PREPARATION METHOD OF THE CATALYST AND PROCESS FOR THE METHANATION - Patent applic.
We earlier documented the United States Patent awarded to the Pennsylvania company, Air Products and Chemicals, for what is, in part, and even in essence, a technology for recycling Carbon Dioxide.
Herein, we document that a Japanese company has followed up on that disclosure of technology by applying for a US Patent of their own, wherein they in turn disclose that they have improved an at least similar technology for recycling Carbon Dioxide, by developing a more efficient and effective catalyst for the process.
British petroleum has applied for a United States Patent on what is, in essence, a refinement of established processes for making liquid fuels from coal.
We provide excerpts from the lengthy patent application below.
Unsurprisingly, although the application is all about making liquid fuel from "synthesis gas", use of the word "coal", offensive four-letter word that it must be, is avoided to the point of absurdity.
We found it mentioned only once in the lengthy application, where the authors felt compelled, by some inescapable sense of duty, to explain where "synthesis gas" might originate. The quote, from deep within the text, is:
"The hydrocarbon feedstock used for syngas generation is preferably a carbonaceous material, for example biomass, plastic, naphtha, refinery bottoms, smelter off gas, municipal waste, coal and/or natural gas, coal and natural gas being the preferred ones, most preferably natural gas."
See if you can find it.
We find it fascinating, in the somewhat horrifying way one is almost compelled to watch traffic accidents unfold, that Coal Country scientists can be quietly going about the business of solving perceived problems like liquid fuel shortages and greenhouse gas accumulations, while the Coal Country public is led into open lamentation and hand-wringing over the same issues .
Herein is even more documentation, from Coal Country scientists in West Virginia and Pittsburgh, that Carbon Dioxide, as is emitted in a small way, relative to natural sources, from our coal-use industries, is a resource that we can reclaim and profitably utilize.
The technology described by these WV and PA scientists shouldn't by now be news to our readers. Why it still waits to be news to the Coal Country public in general is a question some other people need to be asking themselves.