Solubilization of coal or lignocellulose biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9528061-B2
Application number	US-201113229504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2011
Priority date	Sep 10, 2010
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

The present methods deal with the solubilization of coal and lignocellulose biomass using pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, or derivatives thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for solubilization, depolymerization or liquefaction of coal into solubilized coal products, comprising contacting coal in situ in a subterranean coal deposit with a composition comprising a pyrophosphate or a derivative thereof, and an oxidant selected from the group consisting of: hypochlorite, permanganate, and a combination of hypochlorite and permanganate, and wherein
a) the coal is lignite coal and the contacting occurs at about pH 9;
b) the coal is subbituminous coal, the oxidant is hypochlorite and the contacting occurs at about pH 9;
c) the coal is subbituminous coal, the oxidant is permanganate and the contacting occurs at about pH 2 or about pH 7 or about pH 9;
d) the coal is subbituminous coal, the oxidant is permanganate and hypochlorite, and the contacting occurs at about pH 2 or about pH 7;
wherein said coal is solubilized.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said pyrophosphate is sodium pyrophosphate (NaP 2 O 7 ), potassium pyrophosphate (K 4 P 2 O 7 ), ferric pyrophosphate, pyrophosphoric acid, or a derivative thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said derivative is hexametaphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, potassium hexametaphosphate, calcium hexametaphosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, disodium pyrophosphate, dipotassium pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, or tetrapotassium pyrophosphate.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting said solubilized coal with one or more microorganisms, one or more consortiums, one or more functional microbial subcommunities, or one or more defined microbial assemblages.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said one or more microorganisms, one or more consortiums, one or more functional microbial subcommunities, or one or more defined microbial assemblages comprises methanogens.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the microorganisms comprise methanogens and methane is produced.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the coal is lignite coal and the contacting occurs at about pH 9.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the coal is subbituminous coal, the oxidant is hypochlorite and the contacting occurs at about pH 9.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the coal is subbituminous coal, the oxidant is permanganate and the contacting occurs at about pH 2 or about pH 7 or about pH 9.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the coal is subbituminous coal, the oxidant is permanganate and hypochlorite, and the contacting occurs at about pH 2 or about pH 7.

Assignees

• Clement Brian G
• Richardson Toby
• Underwood Stuart A
• Synthetic Genomics Inc

Inventors

• Clement Brian G
• Richardson Toby
• Underwood Stuart A

Classifications

• C10G1/00

  Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal (mechanical winning of oil from oil-shales, oil-sand, or the like B03B) · CPC title

• Y02E50/343

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• C10G2300/1014

  of vegetal origin · CPC title

• C13K1/02

  obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials (manufacture of fodder A23K10/32) · CPC title

• C12P2201/00

  Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis · CPC title