gnm wrote:Don't they mean "Methane" ? Methanol is wood alchohol not natural gas....Solar to Methanol -- Natural Gas
Another process that the company is capable of involves a method of producing methanol from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. This technology is already developed and in existence elsewhere, but their apparatus will make it more economical, to the point where methanol could be made available at approximately the same cost as gasoline.
The UV energy from the sun will split CO2 (carbon dioxide) into CO (carbon monoxide) and O2 (oxygen). Then the CO along with hydrogen (H) bubbles through a catalytic unit containing copper and zinc powder suspended in a kind of oil. The CO and H combine into CH2OH (Methanol). The H is released through electrolysis from water.
The catalytic process requires about 600 psi, and 500ºF. The heat from the solar collectors initiates the process, and once it takes off, it generates excess heat, which can then be used to turn the turbine, to create more electricity by which they can run the electrolysis.
The IAUS concept is to produce methanol fuel using carbon dioxide -- a primary greenhouse gas -- from the environment -- at a cost comparable to gasoline. The CO2 could come either from ambient air, or from a smoke stack, to help clean it up the atmosphere.
Being a very small molecule, methanol, or natural gas, burns much more cleanly and efficiently, resulting in less emissions when it is used as a fuel.
This method solves the Hydrogen transport problem as well. The solar panels generate electricity to split off hydrogen from water, and rather than having to then ship the hydrogen, which is problematic, IAUS runs the hydrogen through this process to convert it to methanol, which can easily be contained and shipped.
I'd be more interested in details about thier "turbine"
I dunno man, I'm suspicious - this smacks of pump it and dump it!
-G
Synthesis of methanol (CH3OH) from CO2 feedstocks. Reported in
K.W. Jun, W.J. Shen, K.S. Rama Rao, K.W. Lee, Applied Catalysis A: General, 1998, vol. 174, 231238 CuZnO catalyst employed
Research in Japan
http://www.iaea.org/inis/aws/htgr/abstr ... 67245.html
The first step is generation of carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide and subsequent reduction of carbon monoxide to methanol.
Catalytic photoreduction of CO2 and H2O to water using visible light reported in PNAS back in 1982.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/2/701
The components of the technology are well known .. the question is does the whole contraption work?
Methanol and ammonia synthesis is also one of the ways to convert Ocean Thermal Energy to a chemical (liquid) form. Both of them can be burned in IC engines.
Will not comment on the self-sustaining nature of the reaction ... have no idea about the ΔG of the reaction
Cheers