We submit herein yet another example of the technology developed by a core team of scientists at California's Chevron, wherein a "slurry", or blend, of fine Coal particles in a carrier fluid is directly hydrogenated and converted into liquid hydrocarbons.
We have made report of closely-related Chevron developments previously, as in:
West Virginia Coal Association | Chevron 1982 Clean Liquid Hydrocarbons | Research & Development; which concerned both:
This submission demands some extended preamble, so please bear with us.
First, we remind you that we have documented the founding of a sophisticated and seemingly extensive Coal liquefaction technology base at the University of Utah; an effort that spanned decades.
That effort seems to have been driven by a core team of scientists; with one, in particular, Wendell H. Wiser, apparently leading the charge; and, a large part of that effort was paid for by our USDOE.
United States Patent Application: 0110287503
We've presented many reports documenting the potentials for utilizing certain, well-known varieties of Algae, grown and cultivated in various types of enclosures, to capture and recycle, and to convert into hydrocarbon oils, industrial effluent Carbon Dioxide.
A succinct summary of how it all could work is seen in our report of:
USDOE Algae Recycle CO2 into Liquid Fuels | Research & Development; concerning: "Liquid Fuels from Microalgae; 1987; USDOE Contract Number: AC36-99-GO10337; National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO; USDOE; Abstract: The goal of the DOE/SERI Aquatic Species Program is to develop the technology to produce gasoline and diesel fuels from microalgae. A technical and economic analysis, "Fuels from Microalgae," demonstrates that liquid fuels can be produced from mass-cultured microalgae at prices that will be competitive with those of conventional fuels by the year 2010."
As we've many times documented, and as seen for just two examples in our reports of:
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; Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Coal ... is converted into ... liquid hydrocarbons by contacting the feed material with a hydrogen-donor solvent ... and molecular hydrogen"; and
United States Patent Application: 0030206843
There is, actually, a lot "going on" in the US EPA-sponsored technical development for capturing and sequestering Mercury in the emissions of Coal-fired power plants.
And, there will be a lot "going on" in our presentation, herein, of the issue.
First of all, whether we like it or not, current and pending laws do or will require that Coal-fired power generating stations have or install some form of Mercury emission control within the next decade.