Patent ID: 9617486
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: B01J,C10G,C10J,C10K,Y02P

Claim:
1. A method for simultaneously consuming carbon dioxide and generating petroleum products, the method comprising: (a) introducing particles of a catalytic material, absorbent of microwave energy, into a higher-temperature portion of a reaction vessel; (b) introducing coal particles into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (c) introducing steam into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (d) introducing carbon dioxide into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (e) irradiating the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel with microwave energy absorbed by the catalytic material in the reactor so as to heat the catalytic material and drive an endothermic reaction of the coal and the steam, catalyzed by the catalytic material, that produces hydrogen and carbon monoxide, wherein (i) at least a portion of the hydrogen reacts with the carbon dioxide to produce water and carbon monoxide and (ii) at least a portion of the hydrogen undergoes exothermic reactions with the carbon monoxide, catalyzed by the catalytic material, to produce multiple petroleum products; (f) cooling a lower-temperature portion of the reaction vessel, thereby establishing a temperature gradient within the reaction vessel wherein the irradiated higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel exhibits a higher temperature than the cooled lower-temperature portion of the reaction vessel, wherein at least a portion of heat required to maintain the temperature gradient is supplied by the microwave energy irradiating the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (g) allowing a mixture that includes the multiple petroleum products to flow through the reaction vessel from the higher-temperature portion to the lower-temperature portion and leave the reaction vessel; and (h) separating at least a portion of the multiple petroleum products from the mixture that leaves the reaction vessel, (i) wherein less carbon dioxide leaves the reaction vessel in the mixture than is introduced into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel.