Hydrocarbon partial oxidation catalysts

Hydrocarbon Partial Oxidation Catalysts Prepared by the High-Temperature Aerosol Decomposition Process Crystal and Catalytic Chemistry... 

Moser, W. R., Hydrocarbon partial oxidation catalysts prepared by the high-temperature aerosol decomposition process, in Catalytic Selective Oxidation, ACS Symp. Ser. (S. T. Oyama and J. W. Hightower, Eds.), pp. 523,244 (1993). 

The principal constituents of most solid catalysts are metal oxides. These may be nearly inert supports, but typically they are catalytically active themselves. Within the class of metal oxides, a great range of catalytic activities is found the oxides include acids and bases, hydrogenation/dehydrogenation catalysts, hydrocarbon partial oxidation catalysts, etc. (Table 1, 14.2.1). 

In addition to these principal commercial uses of molybdenum catalysts, there is great research interest in molybdenum oxides, often supported on siHca, ie, MoO —Si02, as partial oxidation catalysts for such processes as methane-to-methanol or methane-to-formaldehyde (80). Both O2 and N2O have been used as oxidants, and photochemical activation of the MoO catalyst has been reported (81). The research is driven by the increased use of natural gas as a feedstock for Hquid fuels and chemicals (82). Various heteropolymolybdates (83), MoO.-containing ultrastable Y-zeoHtes (84), and certain mixed metal molybdates, eg, MnMoO Ee2(MoO)2, photoactivated CuMoO, and ZnMoO, have also been studied as partial oxidation catalysts for methane conversion to methanol or formaldehyde (80) and for the oxidation of C-4-hydrocarbons to maleic anhydride (85). Heteropolymolybdates have also been shown to effect ethylene (qv) conversion to acetaldehyde (qv) in a possible replacement for the Wacker process. 

Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons on oxide catalysts occurs via a redox mechanism, including reduction of an active site by hydrocarbons and its oxidation by gas phase oxygen... 

Conventional Transportation Fuels. Synthesis gas produced from coal gasification or from natural gas by partial oxidation or steam reforming can be converted into a variety of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, aviation turbine fuel (see Aviation and other gas turbine fuels), and diesel fuel. A widely known process used for this appHcation is the Eischer-Tropsch process which converts synthesis gas into largely aHphatic hydrocarbons over an iron or cobalt catalyst. The process was operated successfully in Germany during World War II and is being used commercially at the Sasol plants in South Africa. 

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