Bergius process

The Bergius process (Storch, 1945), like the Pott-Broche process, is more of historical interest than current commercial interest but it was a process that literally paved the way for the development of catalytic liquefaction of coal. 

The process involves the conversion of coal (slurried with a heavy oil) in the presence of hydrogen and a catalyst (iron oxide) at 350°F-500°F (830°F-930°F) and 3,000-10,000 psi. 

The products were usually separated into light oils, middle distillates, and residuum. The residuum fraction was filtered (or centrifuged) to ranove any solid material (unreacted coal, mineral matter, and ash) and the remaining material was nsed as a recycle oil for the liquefaction stage. The lighter liquid products were generally hydrotreated to produce stable liquid fuels. 

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The coverage on liquid fuels must include an account of the processes for synthesis of gasoline. The synthesis process is carried out by any one of the following (i) polymerization, (ii) Fischer-Tropsch method and (iii) Bergius process. The following description relates only to the first of these methods. 

In the 1920 s, Schneider and other Farben scientists invented a way to use the Bergius process on a large scale. Their new process was called "hydrogenation." This development of "hydrogenation" was due largely to the vision of Carl Bosch, Fritz ter Meer, Carl Krauch, and Christian Schneider. Schneider testified ... 

IG-Hydrogenation An advanced version of the Bergius process in which the initial product of coal gasification is refined by centrifugation and the slurry residue is carbonized. 

This method, which is known as the Bergius process, was put into commercial operation in 1913 at Hanover. It has two grreat advantages—a. very pure hydrogen is produced, and since it is under great pressure, it can be... 

BERGIUS PROCESS. Formation of petroleum-like hydrocarbons by hydrogenation of coal at high temperatures and pressures (e.g.. 450 C and 300 atm) with or without catalysts production of toluene by subjecting aromatic naphthas to cracking temperatures at 100 atm with a lovt partial pressure of hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. 

Germany demonstrated commercial-scale operation of DCL during World War II, employing the Bergius process, which they had developed. After World War II, the United States constructed a 200-300 bbl/day DCL plant at Louisiana, Missouri, based on the German technology. This plant was operated by the Bureau of Mines from 1949 to 1954. However, as the extent of petroleum deposits in the Middle East and other locations became apparent and fears of an oil shortage subsided, interest in DCL diminished. 

The first direct coal liquefaction process was developed and patented by Bergius from Germany in 1913 and, therefore, is often referred to as the Bergius process. The world s first industrial-scale direct coal liquefaction plant was built in Leuna, Germany, in 1927 with an annual fuel production of 10,0001. By 1939, Germany built 12 direct coal liquefaction plants with a combined annual fuel production of about 4.23 million metric tons, which supplied about 70% of the aviation fuel and 50% of the transportation fuel for German troops during World War II. 

Bergius process, 489 BG Technology, Ltd., 110 BHA Technologies, 389 Teflon, 388-389, 393-394 Bingham plastics, 182 biodiesel, 138 biomass, 6, 486... 

The Germans used coal liquefaction on a commercial scale from 1930 to the end of the second World War. They found that a catalyst could enhance liquid yields and help remove heteroatoms. The Bergius process used an iron oxide-aluminum catalyst at a 2-3% by coal weight concentration. 

In recent years, it has been realized that mineral matter plays an important role in coal liquefaction (9-11), similar to the role of the added catalyst in the Bergius process. Several experimental techniques have been used to study the effects of minerals on coal liquefaction and to identify the specific catalytic phase (12). Most studies (12-14) strongly imply that the iron sulfides are the roost active species, and the other minerals appear to have little effect on enhancement of liquid yield or quality. 

The Fischer-Tropsch process synthesizes various hydrocarbons from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The Bergius process, which breaks down coal into a synthetic crude oil with the help of hydrogen and a catalyst, enabled Nazi Germany to produce large amounts of synthetic aviation gasoline. 

Bergius process /ber-gee-us/ A process formerly used for making hydrocarbon fuels from coal. A powdered mixture of coal, heavy oil, and a catalyst was heated with hydrogen at high pressure. The process is named for the German industrial chemist Friedrich Karl Rudolph Bergius (1884-1949). 

The hydroliquefaction of coal in the Bergius process is not a simple reaction or process in fact, it involves a series of organometallic transformation, such as insertion, migration, and reductive elimination. Therefore, only a small part of the reaction scheme is displayed here to show a possible conversion. 

The mechanism in Bergius process might be similar to the hydrogenation of alkenes using the Adkins Catalyst. 

Other references related to the Bergius process are cited in the literature. ... 

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