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Rendering petroleum oil as an environmentally carbon dioxide neutral source material for fuels, derived products and as a regenerative carbon source

  • US 8,461,218 B2
  • Filed: 04/07/2010
  • Issued: 06/11/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for rendering petroleum oil as an essentially environmentally carbon dioxide-neutral fuel and regenerative carbon source for producing methanol or dimethyl ether, which comprises:

  • subjecting petroleum oil to refining or combustion conditions sufficient to produce carbon dioxide;

    capturing and purifying the produced carbon dioxide; and

    combining the purified carbon dioxide with water and a suitable light hydrocarbon fraction having the formulation of CnH(2n+2), wherein n=1-4, in a molar ratio of 3;

    (3n−

    1);

    1 as 3CnH(2n+2)+(3n−

    1)H2O+CO2 to conduct a bi-reforming reaction by;

    conducting steam reforming of the light hydrocarbon fraction with water to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen as follows;


    (3−

    1/n)[CnH(2n+2)+2nH2O→

    nCO+(2n+1)H2];

    conducting dry reforming of the light hydrocarbon fraction with carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen as follows;


    1/n[CnH(2n+2)+nCO2

    2nCO+(n+1)H2];

    combining effluents including carbon monoxide and hydrogen from the steam and dry reforming reactions without separation of components of the reforming reactions or their effluents to produce a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide having a molar ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide that is about 2;

    1 to 2.1;

    1; and

    converting the molar mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide under conditions sufficient to exclusively form methanol, as follows;


    (3n+1)CO +(6n+2)H2

    (3n+1)CH3OH,so that the carbon dioxide generated from the petroleum oil is not introduced into the atmosphere, thus rendering the petroleum oil as an essentially environmentally carbon dioxide-neutral fuel and regenerative carbon source.

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