Production of synthetic natural gas and hydrogen from the gasification of carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

The method of claim 1 and including the step of desulfurizing said carbon monoxide prior to the hydrogen production step.

Claim 6

A method of producing synthetic natural gas which method comprises a. continuously feeding a carbonaceous material to a first carbon gasifier in contact with cobalt oxide, contacting and reacting said cobalt oxide with carbon monoxide to reduce said cobalt oxide and oxidize said carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide exothermally passing said heated carbon dioxide through said carbonaceous material, said heated carbon dioxide reacting with said carbonaceous material to produce carbon monoxide, passing the resulting gases through a high temperature filter, recycling a portion of said gases to said carbon gasifier, removing the remaining gases to a desulfurizer containing cobalt oxide, wherein the sulfur content of said gas is reduced by reaction with said cobalt oxide and cobalt sulfide produced reacting said cobalt sulfide with air to produce sulfur dioxide and removing said sulfur dioxide, passing the desulfurized gases to a hydrogen generator wherein carbon monoxide is reacted with steam to produce hydrogen, passing the resulting gases to a separation unit wherein carbon dioxide and water are removed, passing remaining gases to a methanation unit, and producing a high methane content synthetic natural gas; b. simultaneously, in a second carbon gasifier, wherein the process of (a) has been previously conducted, introducing air into the reduced cobalt oxide to oxidize said reduced cobalt oxide, passing the resulting gases through the carbonaceous material contained therein to heat said carbonaceous material, removing said gases through a filter to a cobalt oxide bed to remove sulfur as in (a), regenerating said cobalt oxide beds cyclically by air oxidation, and c. alternating (a) and (b) cyclically to produce a continuous production of synthesis natural gas.