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Materials for global carbon dioxide recycling
Herein more from our Seven Samurai Plus 3 on how to tame the Carbon Dioxide Godzilla and compel him to plow our fields:
"K. Hashimoto, M. Yamasaki, S. Meguro, T. Sasaki, H. Katagiri, K. Izumiya, N. Kumagai, H. Habazaki, E. Akiyama and K. Asami
Tohoku Institute of Technology, Sendai 982-8588, Japan
Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Ichihara 290-8601, Japan
Daiki Engineering Co. Ltd., 11 Shintoyofuta, Kashiwa 277-8511, Japan
Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8682, Japan
National Research Institute for Metals, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
Abstract
CO2 emissions, which induce global warming, increase with the development of economic activity. It is impossible to decrease the CO2 emissions by suppression of the economic activity. Global CO2 recycling can solve this problem. The global CO2 recycling consists of three district: The electricity is generated by solar cells on deserts. At desert coasts, the electricity is used for H2 production by seawater electrolysis and H2 is used for CH4 production by the reaction with CO2. CH4 which is the main component of liquefied natural gas is liquefied and transported to energy consuming districts where CO2 is recovered, liquefied and transported to the desert coasts. A CO2 recycling plant for substantiation of our idea has been built on the roof of the Institute for Materials Research in 1996. Key materials necessary for the global CO22 conversion. All of them have been tailored by us. They have very high activity and selectivity for necessary reactions in addition to excellent durability. A pilot plant consisting of minimum units in an industrial scale is going to be built in three years." recycling are the anode and cathode for seawater electrolysis and the catalyst for CO
Note this from the abstract: "It is impossible to decrease CO2 emissions by suppression of the economic activity."
It is a categorical statement. But, we should all instinctively recognize the essential truth within it, and stop trying to "decrease", or punish through taxation, the co-production of Carbon Dioxide. Instead, we can decrease, not the emissions of CO2, but, it's concentrations in our atmosphere by the stimulation of an economic activity: The recovery of atmospheric CO2, and the recycling of it into more liquid fuels and useful chemicals.
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The Synthesis of Clean Fuels from CO2 Rich Biosyngas
Kyu-Wan Lee and Jae-Sung Ryu
Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Korea
In this study, it is confirmed that both Biomass and Carbon Dioxide can, as we've earlier documented to be feasible, be processed together into liquid fuels utilizing coal-to-liquid conversion technology, i.e. Fischer-Tropsch processes.
The excerpt:
"Summary
In this work, the authors performed the Fischer-Tropsch reaction with biosyngas containing CO2, controlling the water gas shift reaction. We carried out the reaction in a fixed bed, slurry bed and other reactor systems. However, in this paper, we report only the results from the fixed bed reactions. The reactions were carried out at both laboratory- and bench-scales. We also elucidated the causes of catalyst deactivation."
This admittedly sparse abstract doesn't allow too many conclusions to be reached. But, this information, considered along with earlier reports we've submitted on the recycling of Carbon Dioxide, supports our thesis that Carbon Dioxide originating from our use of coal - whether we use that coal to generate power or to synthesize liquid fuels - can be captured directly, through chemical/physical in-plant processes; and/or indirectly, through botanical agents such as algal bio-reactors. The directly-captured CO2 can be added to syngas generated from the botanical agents and coal; and, the combined gas mixture can then be converted into liquid fuels via Fischer-Tropsch processing.
Thus, a valuable co-product, Carbon Dioxide, arising from our coal-use processes, such as power generation, metal smelting and liquid fuel synthesis, can be effectively and thoroughly captured via multiple technologies, and then converted into more liquid fuel.
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We've now reported from several sources that Carbon Dioxide, co-produced by coal-fired power generation or coal-to-liquid fuel conversion, can itself be reclaimed and recycled - into more liquid fuels.
As additional evidence in support of that fact, we submit this report from Korea.
The excerpt has been edited slightly for the sake of clarity by the deletion of formulaic terms.
"Promotion of CO2 Hydrogenation in Fixed Bed Recycle Reactors
M.J. Choi, J.S. Kim, S.B. Lee, W.Y. Lee and K.W. Lee
ENR Team, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Taejon 305-600, Korea
Summary
One of the promising technologies for the utilization of CO2 is the selective synthesis of valuable chemicals by means of catalytic hydrogenation. A catalytic fixed bed recycle reactor and series reactors have been proposed to increase the level of reaction conversion in conducting the hydrogenation of CO2. The hydrogenation of CO2 was carried out over Fe-K based catalyst. The conversion of carbon dioxide increased with increasing reaction temperature and residence time in the fixed bed single reactor. ... CO2 (hydrogenation) increased with increasing recycle ratio ... For the olefin rich production, maximum (CO2) was the level of 75% in the recycle reactor, however paraffin selectivity was increased when the (CO2) was above 80%. From the results of experiments, the recycle reactor as an alternative reactor was beneficial ...for the hydrogenation of CO2 instead of the fixed bed single reactor."
A little confusing, perhaps; but, the upshot is that paraffins and olefins can be manufactured by hydrogenating Carbon Dioxide, and the Koreans are refining the types of apparatus ("reactor") that accomplish the conversion to achieve higher yields.
According to readily available inter net resources: "Paraffins" covers a lot of organic chemical ground, all the way from methane to candle wax, and the paraffin grade(s) in this report isn't specified. "Olefins" can be blended into gasoline, although the percentage content is limited by statute; but, over zeolite catalysts, it can, according to multiple published patents, be readily and directly converted into gasoline-type hydrocarbons. In any case, they're both useful products and could both contribute to satisfying our fuel needs, while at the same time consuming Carbon Dioxide.
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We have submitted a number of reports from credible sources documenting the fact that the Carbon Dioxide co-product of our coal use can be efficiently collected, through an array of optional processes, and then recycled into additional liquid hydrocarbon fuels or useful chemicals.
Our previous research seemed to indicate that the capture of atmospheric CO2, as opposed to extracting it from the flue gasses of coal-to-liquid conversion facilities and coal-fired power plants, might be the more practical and profitable option.
Herein, we submit additional information, this time from Germany, in support of that position. Comment follows the excerpt:
"Document title
Methanol from atmospheric carbon dioxide : A liquid zero emission fuel for the futureAuthor(s)
WEIMER T.; SCHABER K.; SPECHT M. ; BANDI A.Author(s) Affiliation(s)
Institut fuer Technische Thermodynamik und Thermische Verfahrenstechnik, University of Stuttgart, ALLEMAGNEAbstract
Methanol is a promising liquid energy carrier for the storage of renewable energy. The comparison with hydrogen shows a lower total energy efficiency for methanol. But methanol is easy to handle within the existing transport and storage capacities of the petrol industry. Therefore it causes low investment costs for the infrastructure of a global renewable energy network. For the storage of small amounts of energy like in individual traffic and for the distribution of energy in low populated regions methanol is even the most efficient alternative. Beside hydrogen, a basic component for the synthesis of methanol is CO2. The recovery of CO2 from atmosphere will avoid an infrastructure for CO2-transport to the place where methanol is generated. With solar energy as the energy source a lower energy demand for the recovery of CO2 from atmosphere than from combustion fluegases can be achieved. An integration of biomass as basic product for the synthesis of methanol improves the conversion efficiency from solar energy to methanol."As in earlier references we've cited, the co-conversion of Carbon Dioxide with Biomass seems to result in liquid fuel production efficiencies. Other reports suggest that similar efficiencies can be achieved by co-liquefying coal with some types of biomass. Such inclusion of biomass in liquid fuel conversion processes would increase the amount of CO2 that could be recycled into liquid fuels, above and beyond what direct-capture installations could provide.
Perhaps most interestingly, the report seems to indicate that atmospheric collection would allow "strategic" positioning of CO2 collection and conversion facilities. We are led to speculate, for instance, that a combined CO2 atmospheric collection and CO2-to-methanol conversion facility could be sited in Arizona to take advantage of abundant solar energy to drive the industrial processes.
And, an Arizona site, in addition to the solar-powered industrial extraction and liquid-fuel conversion of atmospheric CO2, would be well-positioned to supplement synthetic extraction processes with biomass, perhaps intensively-cultivated in algae "farms".
Moreover, such extraction of atmospheric CO2 in such a desert state should result in "Carbon Credits", which could, perhaps, be transferred to coal-to-liquid or coal-fired power facilities, the CO2 manufactures, in West Virginia.
In a way, the CO2 generated in WV would be transported, for free, by the wind, to Arizona where solar energy would convert it into liquid fuels.
Presumably, the CO2 conversion facility could then "sell" Carbon Credits back to the coal processing facilities - at some discount one would hope, given that the coal plants are providing raw materials, inadvertent as that provision might be.
Such an arrangement, might, in fact, serve as way to subsidize the construction of both coal-to-liquid and bio-to-liquid fuel conversion plants. An economical way to "dispose" of CO2, as opposed to costly geologic sequestration or misapplied, undirected and meaningless Cap-and-Trade taxation, would benefit both the coal power and the coal-to-liquid-conversion industries. The CO2 conversion facilities could benefit from subsidies in the form of discounted "Carbon Credits" they could sell to coal processors.
Just a thought about a situation far too complex for us to figure out, but:
We can convert our coal into liquid fuels. And, we can recycle the major by-product of our coal-use industries into liquid fuel. All the money exchanged in such enterprise would stay within the United States, as opposed to flowing overseas. We seem to desperately need liquid fuel, so why don't we just make it out of the stuff we have plenty of on hand, and stop buying so much of it from people who don't really seem to like us all that much? Why don't we keep as much of our own money in our own house, and put as many of our own people to work, as we can?.
That makes sense to us. And, coal can do that.
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Herein is more analysis of the liquid fuels/fuel precursors produced by the H-Coal liquefaction process in Kentucky.
What we find most interesting is the final sentence in the abstract:
"Joseph T. Joseph and John L. Wong
Department of Chemistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292, USA
Received 29 January 1980.
Abstract
Three H-Coal liquids, ASO, ASB, and VSO, have been characterized by quantitative FT-n.m.r. spectroscopy. FT-parameters were chosen to allow determination of aromatic:aliphatic carbon ratios to within 1% and 2% error of the theoretical and the absolute number of aromatic and aliphatic carbons in a simulated coal liquid, respectively. The aromaticity, fa, the Car:Cal ratio and, the absolute number of both the aromatic and the aliphatic carbons on a per mol basis, have been derived for each H-Coal liquid using c.m.r. in combination with other physical data. By analysis of the chemical shifts of the c.m.r. spectra, the carbon distributions in the H-Coal liquids have been estimated and compared in terms of six structural types. The molecular parameters thus derived are reasonable correlated with the average molecular structures proposed as working hypothesis for the molecular characterization of the three H-Coal liquids.
This is part of a series of studies on the molecular characterization of coal-derived liquids supported by the Kentucky Institute for Mining and Minerals Research."
This report is part of a series. Where is the rest of the series, and what more have we learned? When and where will we apply what we've learned?
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