Method for maximizing the value of carbonaceous material
First Claim
1. A method for maximizing the value of carbonaceous material in an environmentally acceptable manner comprising the following steps:
- pyrolyzing the carbonaceous material in an atmosphere which is deficient of oxygen to produce a first gas and a hot char which possesses a cellular structure that is essentially made up of carbon;
dividing said char into two streams comprising a first stream of char and a second stream of char;
gasifying said first stream of char to produce a second gas;
utilizing said first stream of gas and said second stream of gas as fuels for the formation of one or more than one subsequent form of energy while emitting a flue gas containing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, said CO2 being a greenhouse gas and being suspected of causing global warming; and
sequestering said second stream of char in soil in order to compensate for at least a portion of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere while increasing the capability of the soil to retain nutrients in the cellular structure of the sequestered char to result in an increase in the yield of plant growth from said soil, said increase of plant growth being a greater consumer of CO2 than if said second stream of char were not sequestered in the soil.
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Abstract
A method for pyrolyzing coal to produce a raw hydrogen-rich gas and a hot char composed of carbon that is divided into two streams, one gasified to make a second gas and one reacted with steam to produce hot activated carbon that is divided into a first sub-stream and a second sub-stream.
The hydrogen rich gas, after cleanup, is converted to methanol which, in turn, is synthesized into gasoline or synthetic natural gas. The second gas, after clean-up, fuels a turbine to generate electricity while exhausting a flue gas (N2+CO2) that is reacted with the first sub-stream of hot activated carbon and with hydrogen for synthesis into urea (CO(NH2)2).
The urea is mixed with the second sub-stream of activated carbon to produce a fertilizer which is introduced into soil to store plant nutrients.
This process produces fuel, electricity, and enhancement of plant growth.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for maximizing the value of carbonaceous material in an environmentally acceptable manner comprising the following steps:
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pyrolyzing the carbonaceous material in an atmosphere which is deficient of oxygen to produce a first gas and a hot char which possesses a cellular structure that is essentially made up of carbon; dividing said char into two streams comprising a first stream of char and a second stream of char; gasifying said first stream of char to produce a second gas; utilizing said first stream of gas and said second stream of gas as fuels for the formation of one or more than one subsequent form of energy while emitting a flue gas containing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, said CO2 being a greenhouse gas and being suspected of causing global warming; and sequestering said second stream of char in soil in order to compensate for at least a portion of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere while increasing the capability of the soil to retain nutrients in the cellular structure of the sequestered char to result in an increase in the yield of plant growth from said soil, said increase of plant growth being a greater consumer of CO2 than if said second stream of char were not sequestered in the soil. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification