General Electric Reclaims Coal Syngas Sulfur, Recycles CO2

United States Patent: 7655213

 

We've earlier reported on the Coal gasification and conversion technologies that have been developed by the well-known General Electric Corporation.

 

For instance, in: General Electric Converts China Coal | Research & Development; concerning: "GE Energy Licenses its Gasification Technology for Coal-to-Methanol Plant in China; GE's gasification technology has been licensed by 38 facilities in China, allowing chemicals manufacturers to use successfully a variety of relatively inexpensive local coals to create a wide variety of industrial chemicals and fuels"; we documented GE's participation in China's ambitious industrialization plans based on a variety of Coal conversion technologies, which include WVU's direct Coal liquefaction technology in addition to Coal gasification for "indirect" conversion.

Shell Oil Coal + CO2 + H2O = Hydrocarbon Syngas

United States Patent: 7829601

 

We have many times documented that Coal can be gasified, reacted, with varying amounts of both Carbon Dioxide and Steam, in order to form a hydrocarbon synthesis gas of variable composition, a composition which can be "tailored", so to speak, by adjusting the ratios of Coal, CO2 and Steam in the mix of reactants, so as to make the resulting synthesis gas suitable in composition for catalytic condensation into a specifiable range of liquid and/or gaseous hydrocarbon  products.

Japan Converts CO2 to Ethane and Ethylene

Patent US3842113

 

Recently, in: "Appalachian Gold Rush" should be a "Black Gold Rush"; we based our discussion on the public celebration of the perceived bounty to be someday wafting up out of the Marcellus Shale.

 

The focus of that piece was a newspaper column written by Bayer Corporation CEO, Mr. Greg Babe, in which, with some cautionary asides concerning drilling practices and "environmental responsibilities", he extolled the value of the Marcellus Shale Gas deposit, but only in somewhat general terms.

Oregon Converts CO2 to Methane and Regenerates CO2 Absorbents

United States Patent: 4571384

 

We've already documented from multiple sources that certain types of microorganisms can be harnessed and employed to convert Carbon Dioxide, recovered from whatever source, into Methane.

 

An example would include:

 

Minnesota Bacteria Convert Exhaust Gas CO2 to Methane | Research & Development; which reports:

NASA Hydrogen from Water and Sunlight

United States Patent: 4045315

 

Free Hydrogen, free in the sense of it being uncombined with other elements and existing as elemental, molecular, "H2", is not, strictly speaking, required by many of the Coal hydrogenation and Carbon Dioxide recycling technologies we've documented for you, since Hydrogen supplied in compounded form, such as Water or Methane, i.e., H2O or CH4, can in many cases be utilized.

 

And, since our National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the focus of this dispatch, please recall: