Fischer Tropsch

Efficient utilisation of natural resources is of paramount importance. With the ever-diminishing supply of crude oil, the production of fuels and other oil-derived products from new sources has become increasingly relevant. Therefore, the use of alternative carbon resources such as coal, natural gas and biomass, as oil alternatives, is of high importance. 

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Fischer-Tropsch reaction The catalytic reaction of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (synthesis gas ) to produce high-molecular weight hydrocarbons. 

The Fischer-Tropsch reaction is essentially that of Eq. XVIII-54 and is of great importance partly by itself and also as part of a coupled set of processes whereby steam or oxygen plus coal or coke is transformed into methane, olefins, alcohols, and gasolines. The first step is to produce a mixture of CO and H2 (called water-gas or synthesis gas ) by the high-temperature treatment of coal or coke with steam. The water-gas shift reaction CO + H2O = CO2 + H2 is then used to adjust the CO/H2 ratio for the feed to the Fischer-Tropsch or synthesis reactor. This last process was disclosed in 1913 and was extensively developed around 1925 by Fischer and Tropsch [268]. 

The mechanism of the Fischer-Tropsch reactions has been the object of much study (note Eqs. XVI11-55-XV111-57) and the subject of much controversy. Fischer and Tropsch proposed one whose essential feature was that of a metal carbide—patents have been issued on this basis. It is currently believed that a particular form of active adsorbed carbon atoms is involved, which is then methanated through a series of steps such as... 

A topic of current interest is that of methane activation to give ethane or selected oxidation products such as methanol or formaldehyde. Oxide catalysts are used, and there may be mechanistic connections with the Fischer-Tropsch system (see Ref. 285). 

H. H. Storch, H. Golumbic, and R. R. Anderson, The Fischer-Tropsch and Related Systems, Wiley, New York, 1951. 

Fischer s base [118-12-7] Fischer-Tropsch Fischer-Tropsch liquids... 

Fischer-Tropsch Process. The Hterature on the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide dates back to 1902 when the synthesis of methane from synthesis gas over a nickel catalyst was reported (17). In 1923, F. Fischer and H. Tropsch reported the formation of a mixture of organic compounds they called synthol by reaction of synthesis gas over alkalized iron turnings at 10—15 MPa (99—150 atm) and 400—450°C (18). This mixture contained mostly oxygenated compounds, but also contained a small amount of alkanes and alkenes. Further study of the reaction at 0.7 MPa (6.9 atm) revealed that low pressure favored olefinic and paraffinic hydrocarbons and minimized oxygenates, but at this pressure the reaction rate was very low. Because of their pioneering work on catalytic hydrocarbon synthesis, this class of reactions became known as the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis. 

The Fischer-Tropsch process can be considered as a one-carbon polymerization reaction of a monomer derived from CO. The polymerization affords a distribution of polymer molecular weights that foUows the Anderson-Shulz-Flory model. The distribution is described by a linear relationship between the logarithm of product yield vs carbon number. The objective of much of the development work on the FT synthesis has been to circumvent the theoretical distribution so as to increase the yields of gasoline range hydrocarbons. 

Secunda discharges no process water effluents. AU. water streams produced are cleaned and reused in the plant. The methane and light hydrocarbons in the product are reformed with steam to generate synthesis gas for recycle (14). Even at this large scale, the cost of producing fuels and chemicals by the Fischer-Tropsch process is dominated by the cost of synthesis gas production. Sasol has estimated that gas production accounts for 58% of total production costs (39). 

A number of chemical products are derived from Sasol s synthetic fuel operations based on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis including paraffin waxes from the Arge process and several polar and nonpolar hydrocarbon mixtures from the Synthol process. Products suitable for use as hot melt adhesives, PVC lubricants, cormgated cardboard coating emulsions, and poHshes have been developed from Arge waxes. Wax blends containing medium and hard wax fractions are useful for making candles, and over 20,000 t/yr of wax are sold for this appHcation. 

In Sasolburg, South Africa, a commercial plant using the Fischer-Tropsch process was completed in 1950 and began producing a variety of Hquid fuels and chemicals. The faciUty has been expanded to produce a considerable portion of South Africa s energy requirements (15,16). 

Fig. 1. Routes to Hquid fuels from natural gas and coal via synthesis gas. F-T is the Fischer-Tropsch process.

Goal Upgrading via Fischer-Tropsch. The synthesis of methane by the catalytic reduction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen over nickel and cobalt catalysts at atmospheric pressure was reported in 1902 (11). 

Developments Outside Germany. In the late 1930s experimental work in England (29—31) led to the erection of large pilot faciHties for Fischer-Tropsch studies (32). In France, a commercial faciHty near Calais produced ca 150 m (940 bbl) of Hquid hydrocarbons per day. In Japan, two fijH-scale plants were also operated under Ruhrchemie Hcense. Combined capacity was ca 400 m (2500 bbl) of Hquids pet day. 

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