Fischer-Tropsch reaction, technology

Five of the chapters in this volume can be considered directly related to this topic. First, Edd Blekkan, 0yvind Borg, Vidar Froseth, and Anders Holmen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim) review recent work on the effect of water on the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. Steam is both a reactant and product in this syngas-based process, and its effect on Co- and Fe-based catalysts is important in determining the activity and selectivity of the FT process. 

Both the Fischer-Tropsch reaction and the Mobil process enable one to convert synthesis gas into hydrocarbons. Since synthesis gas may be obtained from coal, we have in effect a means of converting coal u> gasoline. Geimany moved its Panzer Korps in World War II with synthetic fuels made from (he Fischer-Tropsch reaction, and improved technological developments have enhanced the attractiveness of the process. South African Synthetic Oil Limiied fSASOLJ currently operates several modern Fischer-Tropsch plants. Many organometallic chemists refer to both the Fischer-Tropsch and Mobil processes as political processes 1 2 because they are heavily subsidized by countries that find it important to be independent of foreign oil. 

In this paper, we will review the chemical behaviour of transition metal oxides which is of crucial importance for heterogeneous catalysis, adhesion and many technological applications. Among them, MgO(lOO) is the simplest surface, with a square unit-cell containing two ions with opposite charges titanium oxides represent another important class of systems used for their catalytic properties either directly as catalyst or indirectly as support for other catalysts (metals such as Ni, Rh for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction or V2O5 for the reduction of NOx) or as promotors[l]. The most stable surface for rutile is the (110) face. 

The thermodynamic probability of the formation of products of many parallel and subsequent reactions is calculated by taking into consideration general and simultaneous equilibria among them. This is not possible for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction, because the number of reactions is theoretically unlimited. Therefore, for calculation purposes, it is assumed that the reactions are independent. The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is strongly exothermic, and the removal of heat represents an important problem in the technology of this process. In order to facilitate a comparison of thermodynamic data for various reactions, such data are given with respect to one mole of carbon (Figure 13.4). 

Espinoza RL, Santamaria JM, Menendez MA, Coronas J, Irusta S. (1999) Production of Primary Hydrocarbons via the Fischer-Tropsch Reaction with Removal of Water via a Semi-permeable Membrane, WO 9964380 1999. Sasol Technology (Proprietary) Limited, Johannesburg. 

Municipal solid waste (MS W) represents a significant resource for energy recovery operations. Energy from waste (EfW) conversion process is considered one of the most efficient commercially available technologies for the production of power, combined heat and power, and liquid biofuels via the Fischer—Tropsch reaction (Howes and Warren, 2013). 

Metha.nol-to-Ga.soline, The most significant development in synthetic fuels technology since the discovery of the Fischer-Tropsch process is the Mobil methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) process (47—49). Methanol is efftcientiy transformed into C2—C q hydrocarbons in a reaction catalyzed by the synthetic zeoHte ZSM-5 (50—52). The MTG reaction path is presented in Figure 5 (47). The reaction sequence can be summarized as... 

The principal advance ia technology for SASOL I relative to the German Fischer-Tropsch plants was the development of a fluidized-bed reactor/regenerator system designed by M. W. Kellogg for the synthesis reaction. The reactor consists of an entrained-flow reactor ia series with a fluidized-bed regenerator (Fig. 14). Each fluidized-bed reactor processes 80,000 m /h of feed at a temperature of 320 to 330°C and 2.2 MPa (22 atm), and produces approximately 300 m (2000 barrels) per day of Hquid hydrocarbon product with a catalyst circulation rate of over 6000 t/h (49). 

Synthesis gas is an important intermediate. The mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is used for producing methanol. It is also used to synthesize a wide variety of hydrocarbons ranging from gases to naphtha to gas oil using Fischer Tropsch technology. This process may offer an alternative future route for obtaining olefins and chemicals. The hydroformylation reaction (Oxo synthesis) is based on the reaction of synthesis gas with olefins for the production of Oxo aldehydes and alcohols (Chapters 5, 7, and 8). 

The first step toward making liquid fuels from coal involves the manufacture of synthesis gas (CO and H ) from coal. In 1925, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch developed a catalyst that converted CO and at 1 atm and 250 to 300°C into liquid hydrocarbons. By 1941, Fischer-Tropsch plants produced 740 000 tons of petroleum products per year in Germany (Dry, 1999). Fischer-Tropsch technology is based on a complex series of reactions that use to reduce CO to CH groups linked to form long-chain hydrocarbons (Schulz, 1999) ... 

Another technologically important reaction is the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, with iron oxide being one of the components of some catalysts. A detailed understanding of the complex mechanism of this reaction can be obtained by studying the chemisorption of simple molecules on well-characterized surfaces by means of advanced surface-sensitive spectroscopic techniques. A few investigations of the interaction of small molecules (such as CO, CO2, H2O, O2, H2, and NO) (520-522) and organic molecules on iron oxide surfaces (523-527) have been carried out. 

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