Treatment of solid carbon containing materials to produce carbon monoxide for the synthesis of organic materials

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A GAS RICH IN HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A GASIFORM FLUID SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM FREE OXYGEN UPWARDLY IN A FIRST REACTION ZONE THROUGH A MASS COMPRISING FINELY-DIVIDED REDUCIBLE METAL OXIDE AND COAL AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID MASS IN A PSEUDO-LIQUID FLUIDIZED CONDITION, MAINTAINING SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUCH THAT CARBON IS OXIDIZED TO CARBON MONOXIDE AS THE PRINCIPAL REACTION BY THE REDUCTION OF SAID METAL OXIDE, SAID REDUCIBLE METAL OXIDE BEING THE PRINCIPAL SOURCE OF OXYGEN FOR THE OXIDATION OF SAID CARBON TO CARBON MONOXIDE, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE FINELY-DIVIDED REDUCED METAL OXIDE AND AN EFFLUENT COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE, PASSING A PORTION OF SAID WITHDRAWN REDUCED METAL OXIDE TO A SECOND REACTION ZONE, PASSING STEAM UPWARDLY IN SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE THROUGH A MASS COMPRISING FINELY-DIVIDED REDUCED METAL OXIDE AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID MASS IN A PSEUDO-LIQUID FLUIDIZED CONDITION, MAINTAINING SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUCH THAT SAID REDUCED METAL OXIDE IS REOXIDIZED BY REACTION WITH STEAM TO PRODUCE HYDROGEN AS THE PRINCIPAL REACTION, THE COMBINED REACTIONS OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND REACTION ZONES BEING ENDOTHERMIC, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING FROM SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE FINELY-DIVIDED REOXIDIZED METAL OXIDE AND AN EFFLUENT COMPRISNG HYDROGEN, COMBINING THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE WITH THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE TO FORM A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE AS THE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS, PASSING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID REDUCED METAL OXIDE FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE TO A THIRD REACTION ZONE, PASSING AIR UPWARDLY IN SAID THIRD REACTION ZONE THROUGH A MASS COMPRISING FINELY-DIVIDED REDUCED METAL OXIDE AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID MASS IN A PSEUDO-LIQUID FLUIDIZED CONDITION WHEREBY SAID REDUCED METAL OXIDE IS REOXIDIZED AT A TEMPERATURE ABOE THAT MAINTAINED IN BOTH OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND REACTION ZONES AND HEAT IS LIBERATED, AND WITHDRAWING REOXIDIZED METAL OXIDE AT A RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE FROM SAID THIRD REACTION ZONE AND PASSING SAME TO SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE LEVEL MAINTAINED THEREIN AS MEANS FOR SUPPLYING HEAT OF REACTION THERETO.