System and process for reduction of greenhouse gas and conversion of biomass

Abstract

A system and process for reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas, particularly carbon dioxide, uses, in some forms, a reactor, such as a plasma gasification reactor (PGR), to chemically reduce sequestered carbon dioxide with high heat in a carbonaceous bed to form gaseous products then used above the bed to convert biomass to lighter hydrocarbons, as well as hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In some arrangements the sequestered carbon dioxide supplied to a reactor is derived from a power plant's exhaust. The gaseous products of a reactor may be supplied to an additional reactor for processing to form liquid fuels or may be supplied as gas fuel to an electric power plant or otherwise combusted. Where the output of the CO 2 conversion and the biomass conversion is converted to liquid fuels, such as ethanol, such fuels may be either applied as transportation fuels or used to generate electric power, among other uses.

1 . A system, for reduction of greenhouse gas, comprising:
 reactor apparatus with a first input arranged to receive a supply including carbon dioxide;   the reactor apparatus also having a second input arranged to receive solid matter including biomass material;   the reactor apparatus including a reactor vessel containing a carbonaceous bed into which the gas supplied is injected at the first input;   the reactor vessel and the carbonaceous bed being arranged to receive on its upper surface biomass material from the second input;   the reactor vessel being related to one or more energy sources to develop heat in the carbonaceous bed to a temperature of at least about 1600° C. and to promote, within a section of the bed, reactions including at least a reaction of carbon in the bed with carbon dioxide in the supply to the first input to produce carbon monoxide.   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 the reactor apparatus also having a third input, separate from or integrated with, the first input, arranged to receive water or steam that is injected into a section of the bed where the reactions promoted include a steam gasification reaction of carbon or carbon monoxide with steam to produce hydrogen; and,   the production of carbon monoxide occurs predominantly in a lower section of the bed and the production of hydrogen occurs predominantly in an upper section of the bed.   
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2  further comprising:
 the reactor vessel having a volume above the carbonaceous bed through which material from the second input descends, and reacts with hot gases rising from the carbonaceous bed to produce products forming part of a syngas mixture including hydrocarbon compounds of lower molecular weight than at least a majority of the input hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide.   
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein:
 the gas supply to the first input of the reactor apparatus includes carbon dioxide from a power plant producing electricity by combustion of carbon or hydrocarbon compounds or a mixture thereof;   the carbonaceous bed is further arranged to receive a supply of some oxygen for reaction with carbon to form additional carbon monoxide; and   the reactor vessel has at least one exit port for syngas generated in the reactor vessel.   
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein:
 The exit port is arranged to supply the syngas to an additional reactor for conversion of the syngas to liquid fuels.   
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein:
 the additional reactor includes a Fischer Trobsch reactor or a Krieg fermentation reactor.   
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 6  wherein:
 the reactor apparatus with the inputs for carbon dioxide gas and biomass solids includes a plasma gasification reactor, the first input includes one or more nozzles with plasma torches, the second input includes one or more feed ports within a wall or walls of the reactor vessel, and the exit port is proximate an uppermost part of the reactor vessel.   
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7  wherein:
 the reactor vessel further comprises a slag and molten metal outlet proximate a lowermost part of the reactor vessel to allow removal of some constituents of input material to the reactor vessel that descend through the carbonaceous bed including some metals or metal compounds.   
   
   
       9 . A plasma gasification reactor system, for treatment of gas resulting from combusted fuel, along with conversion of material such as biomass, to produce newly usable fuel, comprising:
 pyrolytic plasma reactor apparatus including carbonaceous material and one or more nozzles with plasma torches;   an inlet for torch gas to the plasma torches at locations to generate plasma gas injected into a portion of the carbonaceous material;   an inlet, separate or the same as the inlet for the torch gas, for carbon dioxide from the combustion source;   an inlet for matter including biomass material to a region above the carbonaceous material;   the portion of the carbonaceous material, the nozzles, the plasma torches and the inlets being arranged to perform reactions including reduction of carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and reaction of biomass hydrocarbons to form other hydrocarbons of lighter molecular weight than at least most of the biomass hydrocarbons.   
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein:
 inputs to the reactor apparatus also include supply of some air or oxygen, and supply of some steam;   reactor conditions promote reactions that include, within a lower section of the carbonaceous material,
   C+CO 2 →2CO, 
   2C+O 2 →2CO, 
   
     and, within an upper section of the carbonaceous material,
   CO+H 2 O→CO 2 +2H 2  and, 
 
     in the region above the carbonaceous material,
   C m H n O p +x.H 2 O+y.CO 2 →C m1 H n1 +x1.CO+x2.H 2 +y1.CO 2   
 where m1 and n1 respectively include integers smaller than m and n, 
 x1 and x2 are each larger than x, 
 y1 is smaller than y, and 
 m, n, and p are representative characteristics of the biomass material. 
 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein:
 the reactor apparatus has an exit port through which products of the reactions pass.   
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein:
 a conduit leading from the exit port to one or more additional reactors for conversion of gaseous reaction products to liquid hydrocarbon fuels.   
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 11  further comprising:
 a conduit for gaseous reaction products to be supplied to a power plant converting the reaction products to electric power.   
   
   
       14 . A process for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide comprising the steps of:
 sequestering, from carbon based fuel combustion, a quantity of gas containing at least about 50% carbon dioxide;   supplying the gas containing carbon dioxide to a carbonaceous bed of a plasma gasification reactor or PGR;   supplying a feed material including at least about 50% biomass to the PGR above the bed;   establishing conditions in the PGR promoting a reaction in the bed of the carbon dioxide with carbon to form carbon monoxide and promoting reaction of gases rising from the bed with the biomass to form products including hydrogen and gaseous hydrocarbon compounds of lower molecular weight than most of the biomass; and,   allowing gaseous products to exit the PGR.   
   
   
       15 . The process of  claim 14  further comprising:
 converting the gaseous hydrocarbon compounds exiting the PGR to liquid hydrocarbon compounds.   
   
   
       16 . The process of  claim 14  further comprising:
 supplying the gaseous products exiting the PGR to an electric power plant.   
   
   
       17 . The process of  claim 13  further comprising:
 supplying to the bed additional input gases including oxygen, or air, and also steam; and   establishing, among the conditions in the PGR, conditions promoting additional reactions, in the bed, of carbon with oxygen to form carbon monoxide and, also, carbon monoxide with steam to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen.   
   
   
       18 . The process of  claim 17  wherein:
 the conditions in the PGR produce exiting gases also including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, with the quantity of carbon dioxide being at least an order of magnitude less than that supplied to the PGR.   
   
   
       19 . The process of  claim 15  wherein:
 the converting of gaseous hydrocarbon compounds to liquid hydrocarbon compounds is performed with a mixture of the gases that exit the PGR also including carbon monoxide and hydrogen.   
   
   
       20 . The process of  claim 19  wherein:
 the converting is performed in at least one of a Krieg fermentation reactor or a Fischer-Tropsch reactor.   
   
   
       21 . The process of  claim 19  wherein:
 the reactions referred to include, in the bed,
   C+CO 2 →2CO, 
   2C+O 2 →2CO, and 
   CO+H 2 O→CO 2 +H 2  and, 
   
     above the bed,
   C m H n O p +x.H 2 O+y.CO 2 →C m1 H n1 +x1.CO+x2.H 2 +y1.CO 2   
 where m1 and n1 respectively include integers smaller than m and n, 
 x1 and x2 are each larger than x, 
 y1 is smaller than y, and 
 m, n, and p are numbers representing characteristics of the biomass.