Oil reforming

Benzene, toluene, and xylene are made mosdy from catalytic reforming of naphthas with units similar to those already discussed. As a gross mixture, these aromatics are the backbone of gasoline blending for high octane numbers. However, there are many chemicals derived from these same aromatics thus many aromatic petrochemicals have their beginning by selective extraction from naphtha or gas—oil reformate. Benzene and cyclohexane are responsible for products such as nylon and polyester fibers, polystyrene, epoxy resins (qv), phenolic resins (qv), and polyurethanes (see Fibers Styrene plastics Urethane POLYiffiRs). 

Solvent extraction Solvent extraction Absorption/ precipitation Separate unsaturated oils Gas oil, reformate, distillate High-octane gasoline... 

Table 9-3 Typical Partial Oxidation Reformed Fuel Oil Reformate (18)...

Distillates, crude oils, reforming and cat cracking, and blending... 

Gasification Syngas -> Reforming-Shift Pyrolysis -> Bio-Oil -> Reforming-Shift... 

Krupp Koppers GmbH BTX Coke oven light oil, reformate, pyrolysis Extractive distillation for benzene, toluene and xylenes using N-formylmorpholin 22 1994... 

The first observations of an increase of the reactivity between gases in the presence of a metal were made, almost one hundred years ago, by chemists like Davy or Thenard. This pioneer work led Berzelius and Mitscherlich to define the concept of decomposition of species by contact under a catalytic force . Since then much work has been done in order to understand the behavior of these small transition metal clusters which are able to promote some chemical reactions. In fact, catalysis has become a field of enormous economical interest. It spans a wide variety of areas from oil reforming to the preparation of synthetic fibers or fertilizers. Theoretical research as well as chemical engineering are therefore deeply involved and many current studies deal with the knowledge of such materials. 

At this point, we must recall what a supported heterogeneous catalyst is. It consists of a porous oxide like alumina or silica, with a very large specific area (200 m /g typically), at the surface of which are dispersed the clusters of the active metal. In oil reforming, the metals used are essentially transition metals of group VIII, the main one being platinum, with a loading of the order of 1 wt.-%. 

Bio-oil reforming requires a multi-functional catalyst which can (1) steam reform the oil organic components into carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and H2 (2) shift the produced CO with steam to make more CO2 and H2 (3) gasify carbonaceous residues formed on the catalyst surface mostly from non-volatile bio-oil components and (4) resist attrition. CoorsTek Ceramics produces spherical aluminas, with a range of physical properties, which could meet these requirements. Nickel-based catalysts, the most widely used shift... 

Evaluate the market potential of coproducts from biomass pyrolysis oil reforming. 

There are other effluents besides refining column bottoms from the manufacture of methanol. Effluents include steam system blowdown, surface water contaminated with oil, reformer flue gas, and the methanol storage tank vent. 

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