Patent ID: 7132183

Claim:
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 hazardous waste, other carbonaceous-containing 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) electrochemically oxidizing at least a portion of said synthesis gas from said gasification unit in a first half-cell of a fuel cell (anode) to a first half-cell exit gas comprising carbon dioxide and water; (c) 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 (d) 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.