Progress in studies of natural gas conversion in China

Progress in natural gas conversion in China is presented in this paper, including processes of natural gas to synthesis gas （syngas）, syngas to liquid hydrocarbons, oxygenates synthesis, methanol to olefins （MTO）, methane to aromatics and oxidative coupling of methane （OCM）.

Research activities and recent progresses on synthesis gas conversion

Five catalytic processes and their catalysts will be introduced in my talk. Firstly,the demonstration test(3000 ton/a)results using a novel catalyst Co/SiO2 with egg-shell structure and the strategies for this catalyst preparation based on the issues from the mass transfer of produced wax from F-T synthesis will be discussed. Recent progresses on C2-oxygenate synthesis from syngas over a Rh/SiO2 catalyst and a 10 thousands ton/a demonstration test facility in China will be built in 2010 will be reported in the second section. A naphtha and diesel distillate which cut off the heavier end of S-F-A distribution direct synthesis with low methane selectivity from syngas over a Co/AC1 catalyst and a 10000 ton/a demonstration test with a bubble column slurry reactor will be talked about in this speech. A high α-alcohols of C2-C18 direct synthesis with more than 50 wt% selectivity and low methane and methanol selectivities from syngas over a Co2C/AC2 catalyst,a 3000 ton/a demonstration test with a bubble column slurry reactor and the primary fundamental understandings will be detailedly discussed in the forth section. In situ formation of homogeneous active sites on the surface of supported Rh heterogeneous catalysts and their application in hydroformylation of olefins will be introduced in fifth section.

Research on coal staged conversion poly-generation system based on fluidized bed

A new coal staged conversion poly-generation system combined coal combustion and pyrolysis has been developed for clean and high efficient utilization of coal.Coal is the first pyrolysed in a fluidized pyrolyzer.The pyrolysis gas is then purified and used for chemical product or liquid fuel production.Tar is collected during purification and can be processed to extract high value product and to make liquid fuels by hydro-refining.Semi-coke from the pyrolysis reactor is burned in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)combustor for heat or power generation.The system can realize coal multiproduct generation and has a great potential to increase coal utilization value.A 1 MW poly-generation system pilot plant and a 12 MW CFB gas,tar,heat and power poly-generation system was erected.The experimental study focused on the two fluidized bed operation and characterization of gas,tar and char yields and compositions.The results showed that the system could operate stable,and produce about 0.12 m^(3)/kg gas with 22 MJ/m^(3)heating value and about 10 wt%tar when using Huainan bituminous coal under pyrolysis temperature between 500 and 600℃.The produced gases were mainly H_(2),CH_(4),CO,CO_(2),C_(2)H_(4),C_(2)H_(6),C_(3)H_(6)and C_(3)H_(8).The CFB combustor can burn semi-coke steadily.The application prospect of the new system was discussed.

An Alternative to Flare Gas Processing:A Feasibility Study of Natural Gas to Liquid Processes

The quantities of gas released into the environment during the extraction and processing of crude oil,by flaring,constitute a vast source of mineral wealth which can be used to produce other useful products.The processes studied in this paper,as alternatives to the above problem,are the ones used in Shell Pearl Qatar project and Oryx GTL project.Both projects produce liquid fuels,mainly naphtha and diesel,in addition to more special fuel such as kerosene.This paper is a feasibility study of a project that makes use of the flare gas from the State of Texas,U.S.A.,as a feedstock to a process similar to either Shell Pearl Qatar project,or Oryx GTL project.The objective of this study is to determine the price range for crude oil over which an investment to similar projects can be profitable.An MS Excel Model was developed in order to perform calculations having as a variable the crude oil price and taking into account all the process and project’s financial data.The results of this model showed that a project similar to Shell Pearl Qatar remains profitable in crude oil price above$57.76/barrel,while a project similar to Oryx GTL remains viable for crude oil price over$31.4/bbl.In the price range$55-$60/barrel,the payout of the corresponding to Shell Pearl Qatar project will be in about 15.2 years and 3.3 years for a project similar to Oryx GTL.Finally,using the financial principles of this study we can apply them to any process in order to determine under what conditions will remain viable.

The ALMaQUEST Survey ⅩⅤ:The dependence of the molecular-to-atomic gas ratios on resolved optical diagnostics

The atomic-to-molecular gas conversion is a critical step in the baryon cycle of galaxies,which sets the initial conditions for subsequent star formation and influences the multi-phase interstellar medium.We compiled a sample of 94 nearby galaxies with observations of multi-phase gas contents by utilizing public H_(Ⅰ),CO,and optical IFU data from the Ma NGA survey together with new FAST H_(Ⅰ)observations.In agreement with previous results,our sample shows that the global molecular-to-atomic gas ratio(R_(mol)≡log M_(H2)/M_(H_(Ⅰ)))is correlated with the global stellar mass surface densityμ_*with a Kendall'sτcoefficient of 0.25 and p<10^(-3),less tightly but still correlated with stellar mass and NUV-r color,and not related to the specific star formation rate(sSFR).The cold gas distribution and kinematics inferred from the H_(Ⅰ)and CO global profile asymmetry and shape do not significantly rely on R_(mol).Thanks to the availability of kpc-scale observations of MaNGA,we decompose galaxies into H_(Ⅱ),composite,and AGN-dominated regions by using the BPT diagrams.With increasing R_(mol),the fraction of H_(Ⅱ)regions within 1.5 effective radius decreases slightly;the density distribution in the spatially resolved BPT diagram also changes significantly,suggesting changes in metallicity and ionization states.Galaxies with high R_(mol)tend to have high oxygen abundance,both at one effective radius with a Kendall'sτcoefficient of 0.37(p<10^(-3))and their central regions.Among all parameters investigated here,the oxygen abundance at one effective radius has the strongest relation with global R_(mol).The dependence of gas conversion on gas distribution and galaxy ionization states is weak.In contrast,the observed positive relation between oxygen abundance(μ_(*))and R_(mol)indicates that the gas conversion is efficient in regions of high metallicity(density).

Mesoporous zeolites as efficient catalysts for oil refining and natural gas conversion

Zeolites have been regarded as one of the most important catalysts in petrochemical industry due to their excellent catalytic performance. However, the sole micro- pores in zeolites severely limit their applications in oil refining and natural gas conversion. To solve the problem, mesoporous zeolites have been prepared by introducing mesopores into the zeolite crystals in recent years, and thus have the advantages of both mesostructured materials （fast diffusion and accessible for bulky molecules） and micro- porous zeolite crystals （strong acidity and high hydro- thermal stability）. In this review, after giving a brief introduction to preparation, structure, and characterization of mesoporous zeolites, we systematically summarize catalytic applications of these mesoporous zeolites as efficient catalysts in oil refining and natural gas conversion including catalytic cracking of heavy oil, alkylation, isomerization, hydrogenation, hydrodesulfurization, methane dehydroaromatization, methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether, methanol to olefins, and methanol to hydrocarbons.

Methane - the Promising Career of a Humble Molecule

Methane, CH4, here represents natural gas (NG) of which it is the main constituent. Routes of chemical utilisation of NG - as opposed to energy usage - are discussed. A main step is the conversion of NG to synthesis gas, a mixture of CO and H2. Simple molecules derived from synthesis gas, like methanol, can be further reacted to longer-chained hydrocarbons like propylene and other olefins and even to gasoline and diesel.

Photocatalytic dry reforming of methane by rhodium supported monoclinic TiO_(2)-B nanobelts

The conversion of methane and carbon dioxide into syngas(dry reforming of methane;DRM)has attracted attention owing to the potential to reuse greenhouse gases.Titanium dioxide(TiO_(2))-based photocatalysts,which have been widely commercialized owing to their high efficiency,non-toxicity,and low cost,are strongly desired in DRM.Here,we report a monoclinic-phase TiO_(2)-B nanobelts-supported rhodium(Rh/TiO_(2)-B nanobelts)catalyst that efficiently promotes DRM under ultraviolet light irradiation at low temperatures.Photogenerated holes in the TiO_(2)-B nanobelts were used to oxidize methane,while the electrons were trapped in rhodium to reduce carbon dioxide.Rh/TiO_(2)-B nanobelts exhibited considerably higher durability and activity than Rh-loaded conventional TiO_(2)(anatase and rutile),owing to the lattice and/or surface oxygen reactivity in TiO_(2)-B nanobelts,which was suggested by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and photocatalytic performance tests under an atmosphere of methane alone.This study paves the path for the effective utilization of methane by constructing active TiO_(2)-based nanometal photocatalysts.

Gold modified cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts for conversion of synthesis gas to liquid fuels

The addition of Au as a promoter/modifier for alumina supported Co catalyst has been studied by combined in-situ high temperature, high pressure Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） and on-line gas chromatography. The combination of these tools permitted the state of the active catalyst surface to be monitored while following the elution of reaction products during the first 5-7 h on stream of the catalyst. The catalysts under study were a 10%Co/ A1203 and a 2.5%Au/10%Co/A1203. Samples were characterised before use using Raman and temperature programmed reduction （TPR）. During the initial stages of reaction, hydrocarbons were built up on the surface of the catalyst as monitored by FTIR and the nature and amount of these species were assessed in terms of CH2/CH3 ratio and the density of these alkyl fragments by employing absorption coefficients for the individual components. The nature and reducibility of the Co particles were modified by the presence of Au while the later also shifted the CO/ H2 balance by acting as an effective water-gas shift catalyst during the early stages of reaction. This characteristic was lost during reaction as a consequence of redistribution of the two metallic phases.

Synthesis and Investigation of the Activity of Cu-Cr-Co/Al2O3/Al-Catalysts in the Microwave Radiation-Stimulated Reaction Joint Deep Oxidation of Hydrocarbons and Carbon Monoxide

This article shows main principles and presents ideas described in the scientific and technical literature, on the mechanism of interaction of microwave radiation with a solid phase materials, which were used as a basis of creation of new perspective, energy efficient and environmentally safe technologies of preparation of heterogeneous catalysts for the reactions which were carried out under the influence of electro-magnetic radiation of microwave radiation. Author’s research results confirm possibilities of practical use of proposed method of hydrothermal oxidation of industrial low-dispersing of aluminum powders with presence of bulk phase of Al(ОН)3·nH2O, with further thermal treatment in microwave field for acquisition of armored А1/А12О33 compositions, which effectively consume energy of microwave radiation. Due to the textured characteristics and thermo-transforming ability, synthesized components can be used as potential universal bearings of catalysts for reactions stimulated by electromagnetic radiation of (2.45 GHz) microwave frequency.

Catalytic performance of a Pt-Rh/CeO_2-ZrO_2-La_2O_3-Nd_2O_3 three-way compress nature gas catalyst prepared by a modified double-solvent method

A Pt-Rh three-way catalyst（M-DS） supported on CeO_2-ZrO_2-La_2O_3-Nd_2O_3 and its analogous supported catalyst（DS） were developed via a modified double-solvent method and conventional double-solvent method, respectively. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by N_2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, CO-chemisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS） and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction（H_2-TPR）. The preformed Pt nanoparticles generated using ethanol as a reducing agent on M-DS presented enhanced Pt dispersion regardless of aging treatment as confirmed by XRD and CO-chemisorption measurements. The textural properties and reduction ability of M-DS were maintained to a large extent after aging treatment. This result was consistent with those of the N_2 adsorption-desorption and H_2-TPR, respectively. Meanwhile, the XPS analysis demonstrated that higher Pt^0 species and larger Ce^（3＋） concentration could be obtained for M-DS. In the conversion of a simulated compressed natural gas（CNG） vehicle exhaust, both fresh and aged M-DS showed a significant enhancement in the activity and N_2-selectivity. Particularly, the complete conversion temperature（T_（90）） of CH_4 over the aged M-DS catalyst was 65 oC lower than that over the aged catalyst by conventional double-solvent method.