United States Patent Application: 0120149789 Among our thousands of reports documenting the plain facts that both Coal and, both directly and indirectly, Carbon Dioxide can be converted into virtually any gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon, into anything we now mortgage our nation's future to the alien powers of OPEC for the supply of, are many which require, for the efficient compounding of the Carbon (in the Coal, or in the Biomass, or in the Carbon Dioxide itself) into hydrocarbons, a supply of elemental, molecular Hydrogen.
Some examples of such H2-demanding Carbon conversion technologies can be reviewed in our reports of:
West Virginia Coal Association | CO2 to Alcohol and Diesel Fuel | Research & Development; concerning:
"United States Patent 8,212,088 - Efficient and Selective Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol, Dimethyl Ether and Derived Products; 2012; Assignee: University of Southern California; 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. An environmentally beneficial method of preparing a renewable fuel, which method comprises: obtaining carbon dioxide ... and ... hydrogenatively converting the carbon dioxide thus obtained under conditions sufficient to produce methanol (and) wherein the hydrogen needed for the hydrogenative conversion of carbon dioxide is obtained by the ... by electrolysis of water using an available energy source"; and, in:
West Virginia Coal Association | Exxon 1982 CoalTL Uses WVU CoalTL Hydrogen Donor Solvent | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,345,989 - Catalytic Hydrogen-donor Liquefaction Process; 1982; Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Abstract: Coal or a similar solid carbonaceous feed material is converted into lower molecular weight liquid hydrocarbons by contacting the feed material with a hydrogen-donor solvent containing above about 0.6 weight percent donatable hydrogen and molecular hydrogen in a liquefaction zone".
And, we've previously documented that, among others, our own United States Department of Energy has been at work developing technologies that would economically supply such needed elemental Hydrogen, as seen, for two examples, in:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Algae Make Hydrogen for Coal and CO2 Hydrogenation | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,442,211 - Method for Producing Hydrogen and Oxygen by Use of Algae; 1984; Inventor: Elias Greenbaum, Oak Ridge, TN; Assignee: The United States of America; Abstract: Efficiency of process for producing H2 by subjecting algae in an aqueous phase to light irradiation is increased by culturing algae which has been bleached during a first period of irradiation in a culture medium in an aerobic atmosphere until it has regained color and then subjecting this algae to a second period of irradiation wherein hydrogen is produced at an enhanced rate. Claims:A method of producing H2 and O2 by use of algae and light"; and:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Hydrogen from Sunlight and Water | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,476,105 - Process for Photosynthetically Splitting Water; 1984; Inventor: Elias Greenbaum, Oak Ridge, TN; Assignee: The United States of America; Abstract: The invention is an improved process for producing gaseous hydrogen and oxygen from water. The process is conducted in a photolytic reactor which contains a water-suspension of a photoactive material containing a hydrogen-liberating catalyst. The reactor also includes a volume for receiving gaseous hydrogen and oxygen evolved from the liquid phase".
And, herein, we see the USDOE's long-tenured water-splitting genius, Elias Greenbaum, kept at the task of finding better, more efficient ways of extracting Hydrogen from Water, and, just about a month ago, published the specifics of a new and improved way of going about it, as seen, with comment appended, in excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch to:
"United States Patent Application 20120149789 - Apparatus and Methods for the Electrolysis of Water
(First, since links to official USPTO records of Patent Applications, and even of issued US Patents themselves, have begun to prove fragile and unreliable, here's a backup:
Apparatus and Method for the Electrolysis of Water - UT-BATTELLE, LLC.)
Date: June 14, 2012
Inventor: Elias Greenbaum
Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC; Oak Ridge, TN
(
UT–Battelle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; "UT-Battelle, LLC is a limited liability partnership between the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute that manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the United States Department of Energy.")
Abstract: An apparatus for the electrolytic splitting of water into hydrogen and/or oxygen, the apparatus comprising: (i) at least one lithographically-patternable substrate having a surface; (ii) a plurality of microscaled catalytic electrodes embedded in said surface; (iii) at least one counter electrode in proximity to but not on said surface; (iv) means for collecting evolved hydrogen and/or oxygen gas; (v) electrical powering means for applying a voltage across said plurality of microscaled catalytic electrodes and said at least one counter electrode; and (vi) a container for holding an aqueous electrolyte and housing said plurality of microscaled catalytic electrodes and said at least one counter electrode. Electrolytic processes using the above electrolytic apparatus or functional mimics thereof are also described.
This invention was made with government support under Contract Number DE-AC05-000R22725 between the United States Department of Energy and UT-Battelle, LLC. The U.S. government has certain rights in this invention.
Claims: An apparatus for the electrolytic splitting of water into hydrogen and/or oxygen, the apparatus comprising: at least one lithographically-patternable substrate having a surface; a plurality of microscaled catalytic electrodes embedded in said surface, wherein said microscaled catalytic electrodes are either catalytic anode electrodes or catalytic cathode electrodes; at least one counter electrode in proximity to but not on said surface, wherein said counter electrode comprises at least one catalytic cathode electrode if said microscaled catalytic electrodes are catalytic anode electrodes, or said counter electrode comprises at least one catalytic anode electrode if said microscaled catalytic electrodes are catalytic cathode electrodes; means for collecting evolved hydrogen and/or oxygen gas; electrical powering means for applying a voltage across said plurality of microscaled catalytic electrodes and said at least one counter electrode; and a container for holding an aqueous electrolyte and housing said plurality of microscaled catalytic electrodes and said at least one counter electrode.
The apparatus ... wherein said lithographically-patternable substrate is a rigid semiconducting substrate.
(No, we won't attempt explanation of "microscaled catalytic electrodes" or "lithographically-patternable substrate"s. If anyone out in Coal country actually cares about what such things are and how they might help us start converting our abundant Coal and our some-say too abundant Carbon Dioxide into all the stuff we're now allowing ourselves to be extorted by OPEC for the supply of, then, start calling and writing your local Coal Country journalists and demanding that they get off their dead cans, find out all about it and report it back to you in a generally understandable way. They've been sitting in their climate-controlled offices clipping news stories off the wire for too darned long. It's far past time they got out, did some real journalism and accomplished something meaningful. - JtM)
The apparatus ... wherein said semiconducting substrate is a silicon- containing substrate.
The apparatus ... wherein said means for collecting evolved hydrogen and/or oxygen gas comprises a canopy trapping device positioned over said plurality of microscaled catalytic electrodes.
The apparatus ... wherein said at least one counter electrode comprises a plurality of microscaled catalytic counter electrodes embedded on a separate lithographically-patternable substrate.
The apparatus ... further comprising means for collecting evolved hydrogen and oxygen gas ... .
The apparatus ... wherein said lithographically-patternable substrate possesses a first surface on which is disposed a plurality of microscaled catalytic anode electrodes, and a second surface on which is disposed a plurality of microscaled catalytic cathode electrodes, wherein said first surface faces into a first compartment in which oxygen is to be produced, and said second surface faces into a second compartment in which hydrogen is to be produced.
The apparatus ... wherein said electrical powering means comprises at least one receiving coil in electrical communication with said microscaled catalytic electrodes, wherein said receiving coil includes means for producing electrical power wirelessly from a wireless transmission source.
(The above and some associated claims not reproduced are rather important. Our understanding will be imperfect, but, what this represents is a way in which a flat electrode of broad and extensive reactive area can be immersed in the water, and, then, be fed all across it's surface with water-splitting electricity by the transmission of radio waves passed through the water. The result is that, as implied, there is a very big reactive surface, covered with microelectrodes, for the Hydrogen and Oxygen to be generated on, and production of the gases, relative to the current applied, is thus maximized. - JtM)
The apparatus ... wherein said electrical powering means further includes circuitry for monitoring voltage and current levels of each microscaled catalytic electrode (and) for setting voltage and current levels of each microscaled catalytic electrode.
The apparatus ... wherein said electrical powering means further includes superconducting wires for bringing electric current to the microscaled catalytic electrodes (and) wherein said microscaled catalytic electrodes and electrical powering means have been lithographically patterned onto said lithographically-patternable substrate.
(What they mean by "lithographically patterned" is that these things are like computer chips in a rather big way, in that the circuits are sort of "etched" into the surfaces of the reactive units. A decent overview, almost of course, can be accessed via:
Photolithography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The upshot being that the reactive circuits and sites are more densely "packed", with, thus, a correspondingly greater reactive area and more productivity. Someone qualified really needs to explain it to us all, if someone in Coal Country would offer them a venue to do so.)
An apparatus for the electrolytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen, the apparatus comprising: a first lithographically-patternable substrate having a first surface, and a plurality of microscaled catalytic anode electrodes on said first surface; a second lithographically-patternable substrate having a second surface, and a plurality of microscaled catalytic cathode electrodes on said second surface; means for collecting evolved hydrogen and/or oxygen gas; electrical powering means for applying a voltage across said plurality of microscaled catalytic anode and cathode electrodes; and a container for holding an aqueous electrolyte and housing said plurality of microscaled catalytic anode and cathode electrodes.
The apparatus ... wherein said microscaled catalytic anode and cathode electrodes are not separated by an ion-permeable barrier (and/or) wherein said microscaled catalytic anode and cathode electrodes are separated by an ion-permeable barrier.
An apparatus for the electrolytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen, the apparatus comprising: at least one rigid planar substrate made of a semiconducting composition, the at least one rigid planar substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; a plurality of microscaled catalytic anode electrodes disposed on said first surface; a plurality of microscaled catalytic cathode electrodes disposed on said second surface; at least one pore connecting said first and second surfaces; electrical powering means for applying a voltage across said plurality of microscaled catalytic anode and cathode electrodes; a first compartment that surrounds said microscaled catalytic anode electrodes while excluding said microscaled catalytic cathode electrodes; a second compartment that surrounds said microscaled catalytic cathode electrodes while excluding said microscaled catalytic anode electrodes; and means for collecting said hydrogen and oxygen gases; wherein said rigid planar substrate functions as a common wall adjoining said first and second compartments (and) means for collecting evolved hydrogen and oxygen gases.
A method for producing hydrogen and oxygen gases from the electrolytic splitting of water ... .
The method ... wherein said electrolyzer is powered by a renewable energy source (and) wherein said renewable energy source comprises solar energy (or) wherein said renewable energy source comprises wind energy (and) wherein said electrolysis method is coupled to a process that utilizes hydrogen or oxygen gas.
The method ... wherein said process is a Fischer-Tropsch process for the synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons.
The method ... wherein said process is a hydrogenation process."
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We'll close our excerpts there, since the above two claims get to the essence of the thing.
In "a Fischer-Tropsch process" we would be converting Coal into a hydrocarbon synthesis gas consisting of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen, which are condensed over a catalyst into liquid hydrocarbons.
One way to generate such a synthesis gas is described in our report of:
Conoco 2011 Coal + CO2 + H2O + O2 = Syngas | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 7,959,829 - Gasification System and Process; 2011; Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company; Abstract: A system and process for gasifying carbonaceous feedstock",
which is so efficient, since it uses Oxygen, the co-product of our subject, to support partial oxidation of Coal, that the Coal can be converted into a hydrocarbon synthesis gas blend of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen suitable for use in "a Fischer-Tropsch process", along with " water, liquid Carbon Dioxide, (or) mixtures thereof".
But since the gasification of Coal with Carbon Dioxide would result in a Carbon Monoxide-rich synthesis gas, the Hydrogen generated by the process of our subject could be blended into it in amounts needed to balance out the mixture for the catalytic synthesis of specific hydrocarbons.
And, further, one "hydrogenation process" in which the Hydrogen produced so efficiently by the process of our subject could be employed is disclosed in our report of:
US Navy 2008 CO2 to Synfuel | Research & Development; concerning: "US Patent 7,420,004 - Producing Synthetic Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels; 2008; Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy; Abstract: A process for producing synthetic hydrocarbons that reacts carbon dioxide, obtained from seawater or air, and hydrogen obtained from water";
wherein that Hydrogen could be combined and reacted with Carbon Dioxide, as reclaimed from whatever handy source, with both being converted through such combination and reaction into "synthetic hydrocarbon" liquid fuels.
