Multi-purpose renewable fuel for isolating contaminants and storing energy

• US 8,070,835 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Green Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAlister Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: McAlister, Roy Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Toomer, Cephia D
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISS, PAMELA HL
• Application Number:
  US13/027,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20110203169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 443/00, 446/28, 568/910, 435162-167, 518700-704
• US Class Current: 44/300
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0283 containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step
• CPC Class Codes: C01C 1/0488 Processes integrated with preparations of other compounds, e.g. methanol, urea or with processes for power generation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/32 with the use of catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/50 from carbon dioxide with hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1011 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0909 Drying
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1656 Conversion of synthesis gas to chemicals
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1665 to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol preparation of alcohols in general C07C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/00 Liquid carbonaceous fuels
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/04 essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/04 Gasification
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/562 Modular or modular elements containing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/52 using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 using bio-feedstock

Abstract

Techniques, systems, apparatus and material are disclosed for generating multi-purpose H₂-dense fuel for isolating contaminants and storing energy. In one aspect, a method of producing a renewable multi-purpose biomaterial for isolating a hazardous contaminant from an environment and storing energy includes dissociating biomass waste using a thermochemical reaction to produce at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol by applying waste heat recovered from an external heat source. The method includes dissociating the at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol to generate carbon and hydrogen. Carbon dioxide emitted from an industrial process is harvested and reacted with the hydrogen to generate the hydrogen-dense fuel. A hazardous contaminant is dissolved in the hydrogen-dense fuel operating as a solvent to generate a liquid mixture that isolates the hazardous contaminant from the environment. The hazardous contaminant includes at least one of a carbon donor and a hydrogen donor.

Claims

1. A method of producing a renewable multi-purpose biomaterial for isolating a hazardous contaminant from an environment and storing energy, the method comprising:

dissociating biomass waste using an anaerobic reaction to produce at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol by applying waste heat recovered from an external heat source;

dissociating the at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol to generate carbon and hydrogen;

harvesting carbon dioxide emitted from an industrial process;

reacting the harvested carbon dioxide with the hydrogen to generate the hydrogen-dense fuel; and

dissolving a hazardous contaminant in the hydrogen-dense fuel operating as a solvent to generate a liquid mixture that isolates the hazardous contaminant from the environment, wherein the hazardous contaminant comprises at least one of a carbon donor, a nitrogen donor and a hydrogen donor.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

applying to the liquid mixture, waste heat recovered from the external heat source or another external heat source to generate a renewable fuel mixture with a ratio of hydrogen to carbon that is higher than the hydrocarbon and the alcohol produced from the biomass waste dissociation.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

dissociating the hydrogen-dense fuel in the presence of waste heat recovered from the external heat source or another external heat source to produce high specific energy hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen-dense fuel comprise at least one of hydrocarbon, alcohol and ammonia.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the hydrocarbon comprises methane, and the alcohol comprises methanol.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transporting the hydrogen-dense fuel to a remote location before applying waste heat recovered from the external heat source or another external heat source to produce high specific energy hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transporting the liquid mixture to a remote location before applying waste heat recovered from the external heat source or another external heat source to produce high specific energy hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dissociating the biomass waste comprises producing hydrogen in addition to the hydrocarbon and alcohol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein dissociating the biomass waste comprises producing one or more carbon donors in addition to the hydrocarbon and alcohol.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising reacting the one or more carbon donors with the hydrogen produced from the biomass waste to generate hydrogen-dense alcohol.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising reacting the one or more carbon donors with water to generate additional alcohol.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the hazardous contaminant comprises at least one of colloidal carbon, fat, carbohydrate, sugar, rejected waste material from a polymer plant, carbon dioxide from exhaust of an industrial process, dust from coal, dust from grain, dust from polymer processing, and distilled solids from ethanol plant waste stream.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering out at least one of a halogen and a carcinogen from the contaminants.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass waste dissociation produces wet alcohol that reduces the availability of ethanol.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising using the wet alcohol as a solvent to dissolve a hazardous contaminant to generate a liquid mixture that isolates the hazardous contaminant from the environment, wherein the hazardous contaminant comprises at least one of a carbon donor, a nitrogen donor and a hydrogen donor.

16. An energy-dense liquid mixture that reduces vapor pressure or availability of the vapor pressure of a previously hazardous contaminant, the liquid mixture produced by a method comprising:

dissociating biomass waste using an aerobic reaction to produce at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol by applying waste heat recovered from an external heat source;

dissociating the at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol to generate carbon and hydrogen;

harvesting carbon dioxide emitted from an industrial process;

reacting the harvested carbon dioxide with the hydrogen to generate the hydrogen-dense fuel; and

dissolving a hazardous contaminant in the hydrogen-dense fuel operating as a solvent to generate the liquid mixture that isolates the hazardous contaminant from the environment, wherein the hazardous contaminant comprises at least one of a carbon donor and a hydrogen donor.

17. The energy-dense liquid mixture of claim 16, wherein the method comprises:

applying to the liquid mixture, waste heat recovered from the external heat source or another external heat source to generate a renewable fuel mixture with a ratio of hydrogen to carbon that is higher than the hydrocarbon and the alcohol produced from the biomass waste dissociation.

18. The energy-dense liquid mixture of claim 16, wherein the method comprises:

dissociating the hydrogen-dense fuel in the presence of waste heat recovered from the external heat source or another external heat source to produce high specific energy hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

19. The energy-dense liquid mixture of claim 16, wherein the hydrogen-dense fuel comprise at least one of hydrocarbon, alcohol and ammonia.

20. The energy-dense liquid mixture of claim 19, wherein the hydrocarbon comprises methane, and the alcohol comprises methanol.