Methanol from syngas

A typical example for a reaction with substantial contraction of volume is the synthesis of methanol from syngas. Formally, 1 mol CO and 2 mol of H2 react to form 1 mol of methanol. This means that at high degrees of conversion, the contraction in volume can be a factor of three. This has dramatic implications for the pressure as the gas volume drops, the total pressure also drops. As a surplus, the analytical evaluation of the reaction is also complicated owing to the change in volume as a function of the degree of conversion. 

A consideration opposing the methanol route is that it does not lead to a product for direct application as fuel (additive), because it must first be converted to methyl tertiar-butyl ether (MTBE). In Europe there is no infrastructure for the large-scale use of MTBE, while in the USA (California) 8 ban on MTBE is expected. Furthermore, methanol from syngas has the same properties as nonnal methanol. On the long-term methanol is a fuel to be used in fuel cells. 

In previous studies the authors have reported that metals oxides such as GaaOa, AI2O3, Zr02 and Cr203 contained in Cu/ZnO-based catalysts have an important role to improve simultaneously the activity and the selectivity[1, 2]. Unlike Cu/ZnO-based catalysts, Raney copper catalysts have not been widely reported in the literature as practical catalysts for methanol synthesis. However, 20 years ago Wainwright and co-workers have been the first to report the potentiel use of Raney Cu and Raney Cu-Zn as catalysts to produce methanol from syngas to use as synthetic liquid fuel [3]. Recent works of Wainwright et al. on methanol synthesis... 

The synthesis of methanol from syngas is a well-established technology. Syngas can be produced from oil, natural gas, or coal. Syngas production via different coal gasification technologies is discussed in Chapter 4. 

Gas to Liquid Fuels F-T synthesis, methanol from syngas liquid fuels... 

Andriamasinoro, D., Kieffcr, R., and Kiennemann, A., Preparation of stabilized copper-rare earth oxide catalysts for the synthesis of methanol from syngas, Appl. Catal. A General, 106 201-212 (1993). 

Methanol from syngas activity and product distribution for all catalystsa b ... 

Finally, in an approach analogous to that used for porous carbons and zeolites, highly robust MOFs have been used as surface supports for metal atoms and clusters. An example here is the chemical vapour deposition of various metals into MOF-5, yielding materials classified as metal MOF-5 for which the nature of metal inclusion and the extent of exogenous loading is currently unknown. Of these, Cu MOF-5 is active in the synthesis of methanol from syngas and Pd MOF-5 catalyses the reduction of cyclooctene by hydrogen. ... 

The MTH process has been developed to convert methanol from syngas - which in turn can be produced from coal or natural gas - to hydrocarbons, fuels, and... 

A 42-stage distillation column separating methanol and water in a methanol-from-syngas process is used as an example of a more typically complex process. In the normal control stmcture, the temperature of a tray in the column is controlled by manipulating reboiler duty. However, there is a high column pressure-drop override controller to prevent flooding the column. Both of these controllers are PI and both can exhibit reset windup. 

Bakhtiary-Davijany H, Dadgar F, Hayer F, Phan XK, Myrstad R, Venvik HJ, Pfeifer P, Flolmen A. Analysis of external and internal mass transfer at low Reynolds numbers in a multiple-slit packed bed microstructured reactor for synthesis of methanol from syngas. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 2012 51 13574-13579. 

The production of methanol from syngas is one of the best known processes and dates back to the beginning of 1900 when CO was hydrogenized to liquids. The process consists of a compression stage, since the methanol is produced in a reactor at 50-100 bar. We mix the feed with a recycle and prepare the stream for the reactor by heating it up to from 200°C to 300°C. The reactions taking place are as follows [49] ... 

Van Grieken, R., Pena, J.L., Lucas, A., Calleja, G., Rojas, M.L., and Fierro, J.L.G. Selective production of methanol from syngas over LaTij (Cu c03 mixed oxides. Catal Lett 1991, 8, 335-344. 

Figure E20.1 Tenperature and Pressure Dependence of Conversion for Methanol from Syngas...

As catalytic supports, lanthana has been used in the synthesis of methanol from syngas [32], in the ethane hydrogenolysis and cyclopropane hydrogenation [5], in the n-heptane dehydrocyclization [33] and in the oxidative coupling of methane [34], as well as in diesel soot elimination [35] and diy reforming of methane [36],... 

The synthesis of methanol from syngas CO/COJHf) using Cu/ZnO/Al Oj catalysts is a well established industrial process (ref. 1,2). More recently zirconia-supported copper catalysts were found to be active and selective for this reaction (refs. 3-9). 

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