Hey T-Bone - you didn't ask, but let me tell you a deep secret .... Assuming that there are no better alternatives than combustion - and hopefully there will be - then why not convert methane into heavy alcohols first, using coal as the predominant carbon source?(and end up with an ideal auto fuel)
i.e. in order to get a clean-burning liquid form of coal, start by by "extending methane" and/or to obtain a more easily transportable form of methane, especially when exploiting sites far offshore: combine the various ingredients (CH4, C(coal), H2O) with solar heat and catalyst and react into a mix of heavy alcohols - 'on-the-fly' so to speak, and such that this can be accomplished even in deep water. No expensive liquefaction will be needed for transport. In the gulf or Mexico, where much of our methane comes from, think about this: perhaps using a factory-ship 'parked' next to the drilling platform, where T-bone could probably (with political will-power from the new admin) convert methane, coal and water directly to butanol and higher alcohols. Butanol is a 4 carbon molecule C4H9OH but the 5 and 6 carbon alcohols would work as well. CH4 (methane) + H2O + C (from coal) + heat (solar, etc) --> C4H9OH + CO2 ... not sure the relative proportions - but certainly more tonnage of coal is converted into clean fuel this way than practically any other way. Methane supplies most of the hydrogen. This could serve as an interim solution until a better *non-fossil* alternative gets established. I do not think it will involve silicon- the bonding with oxygen is too strong. Jones BTW - the Cerrejón mine in Colombia is near the Gulf coast. It has reserves of over 6 Trillion pounds (3 billion tons of cheap low-sulfur, low-ash coal minable at less than $20 ton. The entire US consumption is ~1 billion tons per year and all of that is much dirtier than this coal. The actual price for clean coal on the world market is now much higer, due to demand, but still this single mine is perhaps the key to using butanol made from coal and deep-water methane - which along with biobutanol could eaily replace Arab oil in the USA. It would probably be a huge psychological strategy - if BO could be convinced of this, to *ban all oil imports from OPEC members*. Ban all Cartels. Period. Aramco be damned. Maybe Boone didn't go far enough with that suggestion!
