Liquid fuel for isolating waste material and storing energy

• US 8,784,661 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• 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): MCCAIG, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/542,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20130036670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 585/15
• US Class Current: 210/634
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 12/00 Chemical processes in general for reacting gaseous media with gaseous media; Apparatus specially adapted therefor B01J3/08, B01J8/00, B01J19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 53/02 of cellulose-containing material production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/02 by distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2200/00 Details of gasification apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/00 Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels destructive distillation processes C10B
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/00 Liquid carbonaceous fuels
• 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

Abstract

Techniques, systems, apparatus, and materials are disclosed for generating multi-purpose liquid fuel for isolating contaminants and storing energy. In one aspect, a method of producing a liquid fuel includes forming a gaseous fuel (e.g., by dissociating biomass waste using waste heat recovered from an external heat source). Carbon dioxide emitted from an industrial process can be harvested and reacted with the gaseous fuel to generate the liquid fuel. A hazardous contaminant can be dissolved in the liquid fuel, with the liquid fuel operating as a solvent or continuous phase for a solution or colloid that isolates the hazardous contaminant from the environment. The hazardous contaminant can include at least one of a carbon donor and a hydrogen donor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transporting a liquid fuel and a contaminant to a contaminant isolation system at a first location;

adsorbing a waste material onto an adsorbent, wherein the contaminant is the adsorbed waste material;

combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant to form a solution or colloid within the contaminant isolation system, wherein combining the liquid fuel with the contaminant includes desorbing the adsorbed waste material from the adsorbent into the liquid fuel;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location; and

reacting the solution or colloid to form a gaseous fuel at the second location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reacting the solution or colloid includes reacting the solution or colloid substantially anaerobically.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location is between about 1 km and about 500 km from the second location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaseous fuel is a first gaseous fuel, reacting the solution or colloid includes reacting the liquid fuel in the solution or colloid to form the first gaseous fuel and reacting the contaminant in the solution or colloid to form a second gaseous fuel, a solid product, a precursor material, or a combination thereof.

5. A method, comprising:

transporting a liquid fuel and a contaminant to a contaminant isolation system at a first location, wherein the liquid fuel includes ammonia;

combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant to form a solution or colloid within the contaminant isolation system;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location;

reacting the solution or colloid to form a gaseous fuel at the second location; and

reacting the gaseous fuel with nitrogen to form the liquid fuel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the contaminant is a waste material which includes an organic material.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising reacting biomass to form the gaseous fuel reacted with nitrogen.

8. A method, comprising:

transporting a liquid fuel and a contaminant to a contaminant isolation system at a first location;

combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant to form a solution or colloid within the contaminant isolation system;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location; and

reacting the solution or colloid to form a first gaseous fuel at the second location, wherein—

reacting the solution or colloid includes reacting the liquid fuel in the solution or colloid to form the first gaseous fuel and reacting the contaminant in the solution or colloid to form a second gaseous fuel, a solid product, a precursor material, or a combination thereof, and

the first gaseous fuel is a reactant in reacting the contaminant in the solution or colloid to form the second gaseous fuel, the solid product, the precursor material, or the combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising substantially separating the solid product, the precursor material, or the combination thereof from the first gaseous fuel.

10. A method, comprising:

transporting a liquid fuel and a second contaminant to a contaminant isolation system at a first location;

combining the liquid fuel and the second contaminant to form a solution or colloid within the contaminant isolation system;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location;

reacting the solution or colloid to form a gaseous fuel at the second location; and

reacting the gaseous fuel with a gaseous first contaminant to form the liquid fuel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the gaseous first contaminant and the second contaminant are from the same industrial process.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising reacting biomass to form the gaseous fuel reacted with the gaseous first contaminant.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the gaseous first contaminant includes carbon dioxide, and the liquid fuel includes an alcohol.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising separating a waste material into a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the waste material being more toxic to humans than the first portion of the waste material, wherein combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant includes combining the liquid fuel and the first portion of the waste material.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein separating the waste material includes separating the waste material at the first location.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first portion of the waste material includes an organic material.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising separately remediating the second portion of the waste material.

18. A method, comprising:

transporting a liquid fuel and a second contaminant to a contaminant isolation system at a first location;

separating a waste material into a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the waste material being more toxic to humans than the first portion of the waste material;

combining the liquid fuel and the second contaminant to form a solution or colloid within the contaminant isolation system, wherein combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant includes combining the liquid fuel and the first portion of the waste material;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location;

reacting the solution or colloid to form a gaseous fuel at the second location; and

reacting the gaseous fuel with a first contaminant to form the liquid fuel.

19. A method, comprising:

transporting a liquid fuel and a contaminant to a contaminant isolation system at a first location;

separating a waste material into a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the waste material being more toxic to humans than the first portion of the waste material, wherein separating the waste material into the first portion and the second portion includes selectively adsorbing the first portion of the waste material onto an adsorbent;

combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant to form a solution or colloid within the contaminant isolation system, wherein combining the liquid fuel with the contaminant includes desorbing the first portion of the waste material from the adsorbent into the liquid fuel and combining the liquid fuel and the first portion of the waste material;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location; and

reacting the solution or colloid to form a gaseous fuel at the second location.

20. A method, comprising:

transporting a liquid fuel and a contaminant to a contaminant isolation system at a first location;

separating a waste material into a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the waste material being more toxic to humans than the first portion of the waste material, wherein separating the waste material includes selectively adsorbing the second portion of the waste material onto a first adsorbent;

adsorbing the first portion of the waste material onto a second adsorbent;

combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant to form a solution or colloid within the contaminant isolation system, wherein combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant includes desorbing the first portion of the waste material from the second adsorbent into the liquid fuel and combining the liquid fuel and the first portion of the waste material;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location; and

reacting the solution or colloid to form a gaseous fuel at the second location.

21. A method, comprising:

adsorbing a contaminant onto an adsorbent;

desorbing the contaminant from the adsorbent into a liquid fuel to form a solution or colloid at a first location;

transporting the solution or colloid to a second location;

reacting the liquid fuel in the solution or colloid substantially anaerobically at the second location to form a gaseous fuel;

reacting the contaminant in the solution or colloid at the second location to form a solid product, a precursor material, or a combination thereof;

separating the solid product, the precursor material, or the combination thereof from the gaseous fuel at the second location,

wherein the first location is between about 1 km and about 500 km from the second location.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the gaseous fuel is a reactant in reacting the contaminant in the solution or colloid to form the solid product, the precursor material, or the combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the contaminant includes carbon dioxide and the liquid fuel includes an alcohol.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising separating a waste material into a first portion and a second portion, the second portion of the waste material being more toxic to humans than the first portion of the waste material, wherein combining the liquid fuel and the contaminant includes combining the liquid fuel and the first portion of the waste material.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising separately remediating the second portion of the waste material.