Rapid catalytic processes in reforming of methane and successive synthesis of methanol and its derivatives

In order to obtain high quality fuels and basic raw materials for petrochemical industries, novel catalysts which enable the realization of new synthetic routes have been investigated. First, a highly active Rh-modified Ni-based composite catalyst, NiCe2O3PtRh, supported on a ceramic fiber in a plate shape was developed, which reformed methane into the syngas having an appropriate ratio of View the MathML source. Furthermore, more combustible ethane or propane was added into the reaction gas and its catalytic combustion was allowed to occur on the same catalyst. The combustion heat compensated the reforming heat resulting in an extraordinarily high space-time yield of hydrogen, as high as 10,000 mol/1·h, even under the condition of a very short contact time, 5 ms, and a very low furnace temperature at around 400°C. Next, a highly active catalyst for methanol synthesis from CO2-rich or CO-rich syngases was developed. A Cu-based CuZnCrAlGa mixed oxide catalyst was prepared by the uniform gelation method and it was mixed with Pd supported on χ-alumina. The composite catalyst exhibited a much higher activity than the conventional catalyst prepared by the precipitation method and a space-time yield of methanol of 1,300 and 6,730 g/l·h was amounted, respectively, from CO2-rich and CO-rich syngases under 80 atm and at 270°C. Finally, the products obtained as mentioned above were introduced into the reactor, which was connected in series and the methanol was totally converted into hydrocarbons. In the case of a HGa-silicate catalyst, gasoline was obtained at as high a value as 1,860 g/l·h in space-time yield, and in the case of SAPO-34, ethylene and propylene were obtained with an equivalent selectivity.