SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS & METHODS FOR THE PREPARATION OF CARBON-NEUTRAL CARBONATED BEVERAGES

Abstract

A system for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, comprising a storage vessel of pressurized (of at least about 120 psi) purified carbon dioxide, captured from ambient air or a mixture of ambient air with a minor proportion of flue gas effluent, by a process of adsorbing the carbon dioxide on a solid sorbent and separating and the carbon dioxide from the adsorbent using waste process heat, while regenerating the sorbent for further adsorption; a source of flowing potable aqueous liquid at a lower pressure than the storage vessel of carbon dioxide; a carbonator vessel in fluid flow connection with the source of flowing aqueous liquid and the storage vessel of pressurized, purified carbon dioxide, through suitable regulating valves to set the pressure in the carbonator dependent upon the temperature of the potable water; and dispensing means for passing carbonated liquid from the carbonator to a container for immediate consumption or to a sealed container for storage and subsequent use.

Claims

1. A system for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, comprising: a storage vessel of pressurized, purified carbon dioxide, where the carbon dioxide was captured from a gas supply comprising a mixture of gases selected from the group consisting of ambient air and a mixture of a major proportion of ambient air with a minor proportion of flue gas effluent, and is stored at a pressure of at least about 120 psi; a source of flowing potable aqueous liquid at a lower pressure than the storage vessel of carbon dioxide; a carbonator vessel in fluid flow connection with the source of flowing aqueous liquid and the storage vessel of pressurized, purified carbon dioxide, the fluid flow connections being controlled by suitable regulating valves to set the pressure in the carbonator dependent upon the temperature of the potable water; and dispensing means for passing carbonated liquid from the carbonator to a container for immediate consumption or to a sealed container for storage and subsequent use; the carbon dioxide being obtained from at least a major proportion of ambient air by a process comprising providing energy to a primary production process with generated waste process heat; heat exchanging waste process heat from said primary process with water to co-generate substantially saturated steam; alternatively, repeatedly exposing a CO.sub.2-sorbent to a mixture of gases selected from the group consisting of ambient air and a mixture of a major proportion of ambient air and a minor proportion of flue gas effluent, and process heat steam, in capture and regeneration system phases, respectively, so as to adsorb carbon dioxide from the gas mixture during said capture phase, and to regenerate sorbent and capture purified carbon dioxide from ambient air during the regeneration phase; and compressing the purified, captured carbon dioxide, for storage, at least to the desired pressure for use in carbonation of potable aqueous liquids; thereby enabling the preparation of carbon-neutral, carbonated water.

2. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, wherein the carbon dioxide is captured from a gas supply comprising a major proportion of ambient air.

3. The system of claim 2 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages wherein captured carbon dioxide is stored at a pressure of at least about 160 psi.

4. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, wherein the carbonated beverage is dispensed to an open container for immediate consumption.

5. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral, carbon dioxide captured from ambient air.

6. The system of claim 5 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral, carbon dioxide captured from ambient air, wherein the carbonated beverage is dispensed to a sealed container for storage and subsequent use.

7. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide and wherein the captured carbon-neutral carbon dioxide is stored at a pressure of at least about 160 psi.

8. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, wherein the process heat steam is at a temperature of not greater than about 130 C.

9. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, wherein the process heat steam is at a temperature of not greater than about 120 C.

10. The system of claim 2 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, wherein the flue gas effluent is flue gas that was pre-treated to remove particulates and any noxious gases.

11. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages utilizing carbon-neutral carbon dioxide, wherein the CO2-sorbent comprises a porous substrate supporting an amine sorbent.

12. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages wherein the porous substrate comprises a porous silica monolith.

13. The system of claim 1 for the preparation of carbon-neutral carbonated beverages wherein the porous substrate comprises a porous alumina monolith.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0039] In addition to the drawings of the incorporated copending applications, copending applications Ser. Nos. 12/725,299, filed Mar. 16, 2010, and 61/330,108, filed Apr. 30, 2010, and 13/098,370, filed Apr. 29, 2011, and 61/643,103, filed May 4, 2012, the following drawings are most relevant to the present improved embodiments of the present invention: [0040] a. FIG. 1, herein, is a generalized block diagram of a system for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere according to the present invention; [0041] b. FIG. 2 is an example of a CSS Process, as designed for the Costain Group PLC; [0042] c. FIGS. 3 and 4 present more specific flow diagrams showing the successive steps in a preferred system according to this invention for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and obtaining a relatively low cost purified stream of CO.sub.2; and finally pressurizing the purified CO.sub.2 for storage in large but portable cylinders [0043] d. FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the preferred tandem version of a system and technique for removing carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide laden air, and regenerating the sorbent that absorbs or binds the carbon dioxide, according to the principles of the present invention; where Absorption Time is approximately equal to Regeneration Time to achieve the greatest efficiency; [0044] e. FIG. 6 schematically shows a cut-away side view of one of the tandem systems elevator structures of FIG. 4, showing the monolith in the regeneration chamber. [0045] f. FIG. 7 presents a schematic view of a commercial beverage carbonation system using the atmosphere-derived CO.sub.2 in accordance with the present invention, for forming and packaging the carbonated beverage from substantially room temperature water; [0046] g. FIGS. 8 and 8A presents schematic views of a commercial beverage carbonation system using the atmosphere-derived CO.sub.2 as part of the present invention, to form and dispense a chilled carbonated beverage into an open container for immediate consumption; and [0047] h. FIG. 9 presents a front schematic view of the interior of a combined temperature-based pressure regulator for dispensing a carbonated beverage for immediate consumption.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Referring to the generalized block diagram of the process of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, Stage 1 provides for the pretreatment of a flue gas in a CCS-type of system and the admixture of the pretreatment effluent with a major proportion of ambient air as a flowing mass of ambient air having the usual relatively low concentration of CO.sub.2 in the atmosphere, with a relatively low pressure drop (in the range of 100-1000) pascals. The flow of CO.sub.2 containing air-flue gas mixture from Stage 1, is passed, in Stage 2, through a large area bed, or beds, of sorbent for the CO.sub.2, each bed having a high porosity and on the walls defining the pores a highly active CO.sub.2 adsorbent, i.e., where the adsorption results in a relatively high Heat of Reaction.

[0049] Such a highly active CO.sub.2 sorbent is preferably a primary amine group-containing material, which may also have some secondary amine groups present. The primary amine groups are generally more effective at usual ambient temperatures in the range of from about 10-25 C. By utilizing all primary amine groups, especially in the form of polymers, one can maximize the loading. The relatively low concentration of CO.sub.2 in the air (as opposed to flue gases), requires a strong sorbent. Primary amities have a heat of reaction of 84 Kj/mole of CO.sub.2 that indicates stronger bonds, while the secondary amines only have a heat of reaction of 73 Kj/mole. Note that at lower ambient temperatures, e.g., 10 to +10 C., secondary amines would also be effective.

[0050] More generally, it should be noted that, broadly, the present invention is based not only on the effectiveness of the primary amines under ambient conditions, but also on the recognition that removing CO.sub.2 from air under ambient conditions is practical, as long as the stripping of the CO.sub.2 from the sorbent is equally practical at relatively low temperatures. Thus this invention contemplates the use of other sorbents having the desirable properties of the primary amines with respect to the air capture of CO.sub.2. If in the future new sorbents are available that are not amine based but have the needed selectivity to capture CO.sub.2 at concentrations characteristic of ambient or blended air, that have in addition advantages of lower cost and or longer lifetimes, than such sorbents would be used in the invention of the process described in this application.

[0051] As described above, an especially cost effective method for capturing CO.sub.2 in a pure state from the atmosphere is to combine ambient air with an effluent gas from a flue outlet of an industrial process. As explained previously, capture of CO.sub.2 from the a bi air is carried out under the relatively mild conditions of the a sphere which, in colder climates or in the winter season, can be below 10 C.

[0052] In Stage 3 of FIG. 1, the stripping of the CO.sub.2 from the adsorbent and its final capture and purification is carried out at a temperature below 120 C. using preferably process heat steam. When the regenerated monolith or adsorbent is returned to the air capture position, the regenerated monolith substrate must have been cooled down to below 70 C. and be able to adsorb the higher concentration CO.sub.2 without a temperature rise above that level. The stripped CO.sub.2 is then pressurized and stored in large but portable containers for use by carbonated beverage producers.

[0053] In Stage 4 of FIG. 1, the pressurized and stored CO.sub.2 is used to prepare carbonated beverages, both packaged for shipment and future use and for immediate use when dispensed into an open container.

[0054] FIGS. 3 and 4 depict an overall system for capturing CO.sub.2 from ambient air, whether alone or admixed with a minor proportion of flue gas effluent taken, for example, from the pre-treatment system of FIG. 2. This system is described in greater detail in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/098,370, filed Apr. 29, 2011, with respect to 17A, B in that application, at paragraphs 078 et seq., and incorporated herein by reference as if fully repeated herein.

[0055] As shown in the detail of FIG. 5, the sealed regeneration box 3051 contains the monolith 3041 that has been regenerated using steam at a temperature of between about 100 and 120 C. At the same time, sealed box 3052 contains a monolith 3042 which has been lowered (after adsorbing CO.sub.2 from the air-flue gas mixture) into paired regeneration box 3052; the regeneration box 3052 is then pumped out to lower the pressure in that regeneration box to about 0.1 Bar A, which allows for a saturated steam temperature of about 45 C. By lowering the box pressure, the ultimate result is the greater purity of the CO.sub.2 stripped from the regenerated sorbent as the remaining quantity of air is not more than 10% of the original atmosphere pressure. Most of the remaining air may be caused to be exhausted by the incoming steam added to box 3041 to desorb the CO.sub.2 from the monolith adsorbent and causing steam condensation to collect within the pores of the monolith 3041. The monolith 3041 during regeneration is maintained within a sealed regeneration tank chamber 3051, which is paired with a second regeneration chamber 3052, which can contain a second monolith 3042. The second monolith 3042 is so scheduled as to enter the regeneration box immediately after the first monolith 3041 has completed its regeneration in sealed chamber 3051. The system, as described in Provisional No. 61/643,103, generally utilizes a portion of the condensed steam in the first monolith 3041 which is flash evaporated when the connection between the sealed chambers 3052, 3051 is opened. This will cool the first monolith 3041 and preheat the second monolith 3042. This results in the desired lower temperature when the first monolith 3041 is returned to contact with ambient air, and thus avoid degeneration of the monolith and adsorbent as well as maintaining the low desorption temperature desirable when adsorbing at substantially ambient temperatures. The system as described in Ser. No. 61/643,103 is incorporated herein by reference as if fully repeated herein.

[0056] The primary amines work effectively at air capture (from atmospheric air containing normal concentrations of CO.sub.2 found under ambient conditions). Experimental data confirm this. The loading of CO.sub.2 on the amine adsorbent depends strongly upon the ratio of the heat of reaction/K (Boltzmann constant) T (temperature); the heat of reaction difference between primary and secondary amines, as shown above, can cause a factor of about 100 times difference in loading, following the well known Langmuir isotherm equation. The amine groups are preferably supported upon a highly porous skeleton, which skeleton may itself be substantially inert with respect to the sorption of CO.sub.2, but which has a high affinity to the amines and upon or in which, the amines can be deposited.

[0057] Alternatively, the amine groups may be part of a polymer that itself forms the highly porous skeleton structure. A highly porous alumina structure is also very effective when used as the skeleton to support the amines. This ceramic skeleton has a pore volume and surface to achieve high loadings of amines in mmoles of amine nitrogen site per gram of porous material substrate. A preferred such skeleton support material has 230 cells per cubic inch with a thickness of six inches. Another structure that can be used is based upon a silica porous material known as cordierite and is manufactured and sold by Corning under the trademark CELCOR. CELCOR product is made with straight macro channels extending through the monolith, and the interior walls of the channels are coated with a coating of porous material, such as alumina, onto the walls of the pores of which the amine can be attached or deposited (and which is preferentially adherent to the amine compounds).

[0058] It is possible to reduce the cost of the process by making monolith thinner, and by increasing the density of primary amine groups per volume and thus requiring less monolith volume to achieve an adsorption time shorter than the time to move the bed between adsorption and regeneration and to carry out the steam stripping. This can be achieved by utilizing a monolith contactor skeleton that is made out of a primary amine-based polymer itself, but is also at least partially achieved by forming the structure of the monolith of alumina. Although alumina does not form as structurally durable a structure as does cordierite, for the conditions met at the ambient temperature of the air capture or the relatively low temperatures at which the CO.sub.2 adsorbed on the amines at ambient temperatures can be stripped off, the structural strength and durability of alumina is adequate.

[0059] The foregoing modifications are important for air capture because they minimize the cost of making the structure as well as the amount of energy needed to heat the amine support structure up to the stripping temperature. Greater details are provided in U.S. Patent Publication No. 13/098,370. It is also useful to provide relatively thin contactors, with high loading capacity for CO.sub.2 with rapid cycling between adsorption and regeneration, as is also explained in that application. Also see pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/643,103. This would use the tandem two bed version with one adsorbing and the other regenerating, utilizing flat pancake-like beds, having a preferred length, in the direction of the air flow, in the range of not greater than about 20 inches, to about 0.03 inch, or even thinner. The more preferred range of thickness is from not greater than about 8 inches, and most preferably not thicker than about 3 inches.

[0060] The computational model set forth in U.S. Publication No. 2011/0296872 provides a useful procedure for optimizing the efficiency of the CO.sub.2 capture process and system of the present invention.

[0061] CO.sub.2 laden air is passed through the sorbent structure, which is preferably pancake shaped, i.e., the dimension in the direction of the air flow is as much as two or more orders of magnitude smaller than the other two dimensions defining the surfaces facing in the path of the air flow, and the amine sites on the sorbent structure binds the CO.sub.2 until the sorbent structure reaches a specified saturation level, or the CO.sub.2 level at the exit of the sorbent structure reaches a specified value denoting that CO.sub.2 breakthrough has started (CO.sub.2 breakthrough means that the sorbent structure is saturated enough with CO.sub.2 that a significant amount of additional CO.sub.2 is not being captured by the sorbent structure) during the time of passage of air through the substrate.

[0062] When it is desired to remove and collect CO.sub.2 from the sorbent structure (and to regenerate the sorbent structure), in a manner described further below in connection with FIGS. 3 through 6, the sorbent structure is removed from the carbon dioxide laden air stream and isolated from the air stream and from other sources of air ingress. Steam is then passed through the sorbent structure. The steam will initially condense and transfer its latent heat of condensation to the sorbent structure, as it passes from and through the front part of the sorbent structure, until the entire sorbent structure will reach saturation temperature; thereafter as additional steam contacts the heated sorbent, it will further condense (giving up its latent heat to the desorbed CO2, so that for each approximately two (2) moles of steam the condensing will liberate sufficient latent heat to provide the heat of reaction needed to liberate one (1) mole of the CO.sub.2 from the primary amine sorbent. As the condensate and then the steam pass through and heat the sorbent structure, the CO.sub.2 that was previously captured by the sorbent structure will be liberated from the sorbent structure; this condensation produces more condensed water to provide the needed heat of reaction to liberate the CO.sub.2 from the sorbent structure and to push the CO.sub.2 out of the sorbent structure so that it can be extracted by an exhaust fan/pump. This technique is referred to as steam stripping. The steam is passed through the sorbent structure to cause the release of the CO.sub.2 from the sorbent; for energy efficiency cost reasons one would want to minimize the amount of steam used and that is mixed in with the CO.sub.2 effluent. Thus, whatever is (or can be) condensed, upon exiting the regeneration chamber, the condensate can be added to that generated in the regeneration chamber, and recycled to be heated and converted back into steam for further use.

[0063] PURThe Purity of the Collected CO.sub.2As a final performance factor, the purity of the CO.sub.2 that is collected is significant in those situations where the stripped CO.sub.2 is intended to be compressed for pipeline shipment, or to be used for food manufacturing or for potable beverages. The primary concern is about trapped air or noxious gas and not water vapor, which is easily removed in the initial stages of compression if the CO.sub.2 is to be pipelined. For other uses where the carbon dioxide is not compressed significantly, such as a feed for algae or input to other processes, the presence of air is often not an issue. The purity of the CO.sub.2 is primarily affected by the amount of air trapped in the capture system when it is subjected to the steam stripping or any gases remaining from the flow gases; therefore, this requires providing for the removal of such trapped gases before commencing the adsorption and especially before the stripping of the CO.sub.2, e.g., introducing the stripping steam. Removing any trapped air is also desirable as the oxygen in the air can cause deactivation of the sorbent when the system is heated to the stripping temperature, especially in the presence of steam.

[0064] Oxygen, nitrogen and any noxious gases can be readily removed by pumping out the air from the support structure, to form at least a partial vacuum, before it is heated to the stripping temperature. As an unexpected advantage, when using primary amine groups as the sorbent, reducing the pressure in the sealed regeneration chamber does not immediately result in the correlative loss of any sorbed CO.sub.2, when the sorbent is at the ambient temperatures, when the partial pressure is reduced by pumping. The CO.sub.2 is not spontaneously released from the amine at such low temperatures. Such release, as has been shown experimentally, requires a stripping temperature of at least 90 C., at least where no steam is present.

[0065] This process can be carried out where the initial capture phase results in substantial saturation of the CO.sub.2 on the sorbent, or until it results in only, e.g., about 60-80% of saturation by the CO.sub.2. Avoiding complete saturation by CO2 substantially reduces the capture cycling time to an extent proportionally as much as 40%, so that the ongoing cycling of the process results in a greater extraction of CO.sub.2 per unit time. Generally sorption slows as the sorbent more closely approaches saturation.

[0066] Details of preferred embodiments of this invention are given in the context of the above-recited prior pending applications.

[0067] FIGS. 3 through 6 are schematic illustrations of a system for carbon dioxide capture from an atmosphere, admixed with flue gases according to the principles of the prior inventions.

[0068] When a sorbent structure, such as a substrate 2002 carrying a primary amine sorbent, is in the CO.sub.2 capture position (e.g. in zone 2003 in FIG. 3), carbon dioxide laden air is directed at the substrate (e.g. by a single large fan, or by a plurality of smaller fans, or by natural wind or convection currents), so that as the air flows through the substrate 2002 and into contact with the sorbent, the carbon dioxide contacts the sorption medium on the surfaces of the substrate 2002, and is substantially removed from the air. Thus, carbon dioxide laden air is directed at and through the substrate so that carbon dioxide in the air comes into contact with the sorbent medium, carbon dioxide is substantially removed from the air by the sorbent, and the CO.sub.2-lean or leaner air from which the carbon dioxide has been substantially removed, is directed away from the substrate, back into the atmosphere.

[0069] In the embodiments of the above figures, the substrates are moved between the CO.sub.2 capturing zone 2003 (in FIG. 3) and the CO.sub.2 stripping/regeneration chamber 2006 (in FIG. 4). When a substrate is moved to the CO.sub.2 stripping chamber 2006, i.e., the lower position as shown in FIG. 4, the substrate is at substantially ambient temperature, the heat of reaction of the sorption activity having been substantially removed by the convective effect of the blown mass of air from which the CO.sub.2 was removed, and by the effects of condensate evaporation from the pores.

[0070] Any trapped air in the substrate 2002 and chamber 2006 can be pumped out, e.g., by an air evacuation pump 2007, or even by an exhaust fan, to form a partial vacuum in the chamber 2006. Next, process heat, e.g., in the form of saturated steam from the Steam co-generator 2019, is directed by conduit 2005 at and through the CO.sub.2-laden substrate 2002 in the stripping chamber 2006.

[0071] Carbon dioxide is removed from the sorbent (stripped off) by the flow of relatively hot steam; the incoming steam is at a temperature of not greater than 130 C., and preferably not greater than 120 C., and most preferably not greater than 110 C. The vapor, comprising primarily carbon dioxide and some saturated steam, flows out of the stripping chamber 2006, through exhaust conduit 2008 into a separator 3009, where most of the steam present is condensed and drops out as water. The liquid condensed water is separated from the gaseous stripped CO.sub.2. Some of the steam that is condensed in the sorbent structure itself during the stripping process either will be collected in a drain at the bottom of the regeneration chamber (e.g., by tipping the structure slightly off level) or preferably will be evaporated upon pumping out, and reducing the pressure in, the regeneration chamber following the completion of the steam stripping process. That evaporation of a portion of the condensed steam will cool down the sorbent structure before it is put back in contact with the air to capture more CO.sub.2 (this also will mitigate the tendency of oxygen to deactivate the sorbent by oxidizing it). Some of the water condensed in the porous structure 2002 is returned to the contact zone 2003, where it can act to remove the heat of adsorption of the CO.sub.2; cooling is also provided by the air flowing through the device in the adsorption step (this will depend upon the ambient humidity, further cooling the substrate). It has been shown experimentally, however, that the effectiveness of capture increases in the presence of moisture. This is well known to the art and results from the fact that dry sorbent must use two amine sites to bind CO.sub.2 to the sorbent when dry, 50% amine efficiency, to only one amine binding site per CO.sub.2 capture in the presence of high humidity, 100% potential amine efficiency. In addition, the presence of liquid water in the substrate acts to remove the heat of adsorption from the system (as the water evaporates), which is especially useful when the concentration of incoming CO.sub.2 in the air is enhanced by mixing with a minor proportion of flue gas effluent. The potential amine efficiency may still be limited by pore blockage and the practical decision must be made of how much of the bed is to be saturated with CO.sub.2 before one terminates the adsorption process and moves the sorbent structure to the regeneration step. It has been found to be more efficient to stop sorption before saturation in this type of multi-unit, continual operation, as the speed of adsorption drops sharply as the equilibrium point is approached.

[0072] The stripped CO.sub.2 from the regenerated sorbent is in turn pumped into a storage reservoir 2012 where it can be maintained at slightly elevated pressure for immediate use, e.g., to provide CO.sub.2-rich atmosphere to enhance algae growth, or the carbon dioxide gas can be compressed to higher pressures, by means of compressor 2014, for long term storage, bottled as high pressure CO.sub.2, e.g., at above 160 psi, or to be pipelined to a distant final use, e.g., carbonation of water. During any initial compression phase, the CO.sub.2 is further purified by the condensation of any remaining steam, which water condensate is in turn removed, by known means. In addition, the heat generated by compression, e.g., to 220 psi, is drawn off and can be used by adding to process heat.

[0073] For detailed examples of commercial CO.sub.2-extraction facilities, e.g., large numbers of the modules scaled to a capacity to remove on the order of One Million (1,000,000) metric Tonnes of CO.sub.2 per year from the atmosphere, see the prior commonly owned copending applications listed above. Such a facility will utilize at least approximately 500 such reciprocally moving substrate modules, where each module will have major rectangular surfaces extending perpendicular to the flow of air with an area of as much as about 50 square meters (preferably up to about 15 square meters), and a thickness, in the direction of flow, of most preferably not greater than about six (6) inches, but usually less, e.g., as low as 0.06 in. (3 mm). Each monolith module is preferably formed from brick-shaped monolith elements, each having the desired thickness of the module, but having a face surface of about 6 ins. by 6 ins., so that each substrate monolith module can be formed of as many as about 2000 such bricks, stacked together.

[0074] After the captured CO.sub.2 has been pressurized to a pressure of at least 160 psi, and preferably up to 260 psi, the CO.sub.2 can be stored, for example, in individual tanks which are readily portable and can be shipped to the carbonator or can be shipped via pipeline to a location where it would be used to fill tanks at the higher pressure and then sold to the ultimate user.

[0075] There are a great many processes for carbonating water. That which could be used in the home, usually involving very small bottles of CO.sub.2 at a pressure of approximately 100 psi at room temperature, or it can be stored in large tanks five feet in height, usually used for commercial purposes or, if desired, in the home. The processes for carbonating and bottling water commercially are exemplified by the room temperature carbonation system in U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,502, granted Mar. 3, 1981 (the '502 patent).

[0076] The system for preparing room temperature carbonated beverages, as described in the '502 patent, is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7 hereto. This prior art system provides for carbonation of what is substantially room temperature water, i.e., temperatures of, for example, 55-60 F. (15-20 C.) and provides energy savings by avoiding refrigeration. This is especially useful as the carbon dioxide storage systems are available at pressures substantially greater than is required for preparing these warm fill carbonated beverages. Generally, carbonated beverages contain approximately 3.8 volumes of CO.sub.2 for a given liquid volume and in order to dissolve the CO.sub.2 into the water requires a pressure of at least about 45 psi.

[0077] This '502 patent, from 1981, describes apparatus which provides for replenishment of a carbonated beverage supply in a closed filler bowl 60 made possible by the flowing of freshly carbonated beverage from a carbonator 10 through an inlet conduit 90,12 and suction pump 92, the inlet conduit having a normally open pressure-operated valve 14 to the filler bowl 60. The incoming beverage thereby restores any depleted level of the carbonated beverage in the filler bowl 60, until a selected elevated level in the storage container is reached, at which time the float 42 causes the appended lever arm 43 to open pressure valve 51 so that diaphragm 34 is exposed to gaseous pressure source via conduit 47, and closes the valve 14. The ambient air-derived CO2 is stored in the large tank 86, at high pressures, and is fed to the mixing tank 82 through a commercially available gas pressure regulator valve in line 83.

[0078] The apparatus further includes discharge conduit means 24 connected from the storage volume of the filler bowl 60 of the carbonated beverage to an arrangement of hollow bottles 26 at a filling station 28, where the bottles 26 can be filled. There is further provided a bottle-venting conduit 62 at each bottling station 28, which is operationally disposed in communication at opposite ends with a hollow interior of a bottle 26 and with the gaseous volume in filler bowl 60 during the filling of each bottle. This allows the gaseous pressure medium located in the head space or upper portion of the beverage storage filler bowl 60, to also effectively exert pressure upon the carbonated beverage filling each bottle by virtual contact through the bottle-venting conduit 62. Furthermore, as a preference, the pressure that operates to close the valve 14 is the same as is provided in the upper portion of the filler bowl 60. There is further provided a pump 92 for pumping carbonated beverage through the inlet conduit 90, 12 to the filler bowl 60 at a selected pressure when replenishing the volume level in the filler bowl 60. As a result, the carbonated beverage filling a bottle is under a balanced pressure from the choke means at the bottle inlet and under the pressure influence of the pressurized gas at the bottle vent 62, and thus the pressure is maintained stable in relation to the carbon dioxide content at an elevated temperature, i.e., room temperature, or 60 F. A more complete description of the operation of this system is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,502 at column 3, line 4 through line 26 and column 6 beginning at line 5 where a description of the operation of FIG. 4 is provided.

[0079] FIGS. 8 and 8A depict a carbonated beverage dispenser for dispensing the beverage into an open container for immediate consumption, for example, at a restaurant or soda fountain. This system, as displayed in FIGS. 8 and 8A, provides for dispensing the beverage through a bottom-filling nozzle 32 into an open container, such as a cup 44. The carbonated beverage remains pressurized in chamber 30 until immediately before the dispensing valve 14 is opened and the pressurized beverage dispenses from the nozzle 16 into the open container 44. This system maintains the carbonated beverage at a desired pressure up until the moment of dispensing. Significantly in this case, this immediate dispensing into an open container requires that the beverage be chilled immediately prior to being dispensed, to a temperature preferably near or at the freezing point of the beverage. This low temperature is desirable in order avoid excessive foaming of the beverage upon dispensing and thus the immediate loss of the carbonated feature. A desirable temperature would be a maximum of 36 F., and preferably down to the surface temperature of ice, but without forming ice crystals. By dispensing into an open container through the nozzle 16, of course, the beverage is immediately exposed to atmospheric pressure. Again, a more detailed description of the operation of this dispensing system into an open container is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,652 at column 2, beginning at line 6, and a description of the particular system of FIGS. 8 and 8A (which are FIGS. 1 and 2 of the '652 patent), begins at column 4, line 13.

[0080] The system 10 shown in FIGS. 8 and 8A (FIGS. 1 and 2 of the '652 Patent) operates generally in the following manner. The electronic controller 26 adjusts valve 24 in the pressurized carbon dioxide line 22 in order to force carbonated beverage from the source 18 into pressurized line 28 or, as mentioned, the initial system pressure can be set manually or by a conventional regulator on the carbon dioxide source. A typical pressure for pressurized line 28 would be 15-30 psi, although this pressure is discretionary. The in-line chiller 32 chills the pressurized carbonated beverage to a desired temperature (for example, 36.5 degrees Fahrenheit for certain beers, or the surface temperature of ice added to the open container for soft drinks or carbonated water). The chilled and pressurized carbonated beverage then flows through the flow restriction device 51 and into the pressurized chamber 30 and nozzle 16 with the valve 14 in a closed position as shown in FIG. 1. With the valve 14 closed, the pressure of the carbonated beverage in the nozzle achieves equilibrium pressure which is the same as the pressure in the pressurized line 28 and substantially greater than atmospheric pressure.

[0081] In order to dispense carbonated beverage into the open container 44, the open container 44 is placed underneath the nozzle 16 with the outlet port 38 for the nozzle 16 proximate the bottom 42 of the open container 44. The system 10 is then activated to initiate a dispensing cycle, for example by pushing the bottom 42 of the open container 44 against the activation switch 40 on the bottom of the valve head 14, or in accordance with a barcode system such as disclosed in incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,732, or by some other push button or electronic control. After system activation, the dispensing valve 14 is maintained in a closed position and the electronic controller 26 initiates the dispensing cycle. First, the electronic controller sends a control signal through line 54 to the bladder actuator 50 to retract the elastomeric bladder 48 and reduce the pressure of the carbonated beverage 12 contained in the nozzle 16 and chamber 30 to a lesser pressure that is appropriate for controlled dispensing of the carbonated beverage from the outlet port 38 of the nozzle 16 into the open container 44. Preferably, the retraction of the bladder 48, as shown in FIG. 8A, reduces the pressure of the carbonated beverage 12 in the nozzle 16 to a pressure slightly greater than atmospheric pressure, and in any event no more than 6 psi greater than atmospheric pressure. The valve head 14 is opened once the pressure of the carbonated beverage has been reduced to the selected dispensing pressure, thus allowing carbonated beverage to flow from the nozzle outlet port 38 into the open container 44 in a controlled manner as illustrated in FIG. 8A. Because the pressure of the carbonated beverage is known during the dispensing procedure, the amount of carbonated beverage filling the open container 44 accurately corresponds to the precise time period that the valve 14 is open. The dispensing valve 14 is closed after the predetermined time period. The presentation of the carbonated beverage within the open container 44 is likely to be extremely repeatable because the temperature and the dispensing pressure of the carbonated beverage are tightly controlled. Other features of the system 10 are described in connection with other FIGS. presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,652, which help to improve the repeatability of the volume of the carbonated beverage presented to the open container 44.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 9, which is FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,495 (the '495 patent), there is described a regulator assembly for achieving consistent performance with regard to temperature, foaming limits and carbonation level when dispensing into an open cup or like container. The regulator assembly shown in FIG. 9 (which is FIG. 1 of the '495 patent), describes an assembly having a pressure regulator and a temperature sensor so as to ensure that a proper pressure is applied to the carbonated beverage, for the temperature of the liquid, prior to dispensing and thus to avoid undesirable foaming and loss of carbonation immediately upon dispensing.

[0083] The operation of FIG. 9, and the generally desirable features of this system, are described beginning at column 5 line 24 through at least line 53 of column 6 of the '495 patent.

[0084] The above systems taken from prior patents are all intended to be exemplary of the types of systems for preparing and dispensing carbonated beverages utilizing the air-captured carbon dioxide of the present invention, into open containers for immediate use, or as part of a process for filling individual beverage containers for retail sale to consumers. The primary advantage of this invention is the use of a carbon dioxide obtained from and captured from the atmosphere so that when the beverage is dispensed, and the carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, there is a carbon zero footprint for this carbonated beverage, as the carbon dioxide is merely returning to the atmosphere from which it was captured.

[0085] The above merely set forth general descriptions and specific examples of the present invention, but the full scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.