Biogasification of coal to methane and other useful products
First Claim
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1. A process for converting coal ex situ, comprising:
- (a) treating coal with a liquid that solubilizes at least a portion of the coal to form a product that is a substrate for a hydrolytic microbial population,(b) treating at least a portion of the product of step (a) with the hydrolytic microbial population to produce a product containing fatty acids or fatty acid esters, and(c) treating at least a liquid portion of the product from step (b) with an anaerobic microbial population that generates methane to produce a product containing methane,wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed separately.
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Abstract
Method of bioconversion of coal to methane, carbon dioxide, and other valuable gaseous and liquid products in a multi-step process that may include particle size reduction, separation of non-coal materials, addition of chemicals, and multi-stage anaerobic fermentation are disclosed.
237 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A process for converting coal ex situ, comprising:
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(a) treating coal with a liquid that solubilizes at least a portion of the coal to form a product that is a substrate for a hydrolytic microbial population, (b) treating at least a portion of the product of step (a) with the hydrolytic microbial population to produce a product containing fatty acids or fatty acid esters, and (c) treating at least a liquid portion of the product from step (b) with an anaerobic microbial population that generates methane to produce a product containing methane, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed separately. - 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, 32)
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Specification