Patent ID: 7753973
Filing Date: 2010-07-13
Classification: C01B,C10J,H01M,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A process for converting carbonaceous feedstocks into energy without the production of unwanted greenhouse gas emissions comprising: (a) converting a carbonaceous feedstock selected from the group consisting of coal, hydrocarbon oil, natural gas, petroleum coke, oil shale, carbonaceous-containing waste oil, carbonaceous-containing medical waste, carbonaceous-containing military waste, carbonaceous-containing industrial waste, carbonaceous-containing medical waste, carbonaceous-containing sewage sludge and municipal solid waste, carbonaceous-containing agricultural waste, carbonaceous-containing biomass, biological and biochemical waste, and mixtures thereof, and a greenhouse gas stream in a gasification unit to synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen, said gasification unit is a non-catalytic high temperature, gas-phase reactor operating at conditions to achieve a gas exit temperature of from at least 700° to about 1600° C. (1300-2900° F.); (b) passing at least a portion of said synthesis gas to an interface zone to remove compounds selected from the group consisting of sulfur-containing, silicon-containing, halogen-containing, phosphorus-containing, and nitrogen-containing compounds and their mixtures from said syngas to form a cleaned syngas, said interface zone comprises in flow sequence: (c) electrochemically oxidizing at least a portion of said cleaned syngas from said condenser in a first half-cell of a fuel cell (anode) to a first half-cell exit gas comprising carbon dioxide and water; (d) recovering the carbon dioxide from said first half-cell exit gas to serve as at least 20% of said greenhouse gas stream in step (a); and (e) electrochemically reducing an oxygen-containing gas in a second half-cell of said fuel cell (cathode) completing the circuit and resulting in the production of electrical energy.