Syngas current developments

The development of new syngas-based processes is one of the objectives for the near future, despite the current low price of oil. Syngas can be produced from various carbonaceous sources, including coal, heavy residue, biomass and gas, the latter being the most economical and abundant feedstock. Chemical valorization of natural or associated gas is a priority objective, since liquefaction of remote gas via alcohol synthesis permits convenient shipping to markets not directly connected to the gas source by pipeline. 

Eastern coal conversion development may come to be favored because of market proximity, water availability, and coal sources which, because of their high sulfur content, are currently unuse-able and, hence, largely decoupled from other energy prices. Proximity reduces transport costs and allows an increased use of low and medium Btu syngas processes. Reactivity and swelling problems may be overcome by technology. 

The synthesis of intermediates and monomers from alkanes by means of oxidative processes, in part replacing alkenes and aromatics as the traditional building blocks for the chemical industry [2]. Besides the well-known oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride, examples of processes implemented at the industrial level are (i) the direct oxidation of ethane to acetic acid, developed by Sabic (ii) the ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile, developed by INEOS (former BP) and by Mitsubishi, and recently announced by Asahi to soon become commercial (iii) the partial oxidation of methane to syngas (a demonstration unit is being built by ENI). Many other reactions are currently being investigated, for example, (i) the... 

Thermodynamically, the carbonylation of methyl acetate (AG298 -10 kJ/mol) is considerably less favourable than that of methanol (AG298 -74 kJ/mol). This means that the reaction does not reach completion but attains an equilibrium which is dependent on the temperature and the CO pressure. Two variants are currently practised commercially that developed by Tennessee Eastman, based on a Halcon process, and a BP process in which acetic acid and the anhydride are co-produced in proportions which can be varied according to demand. Syngas for the Eastman process is made from coal which is mined close to the plant in Tennessee and the acetic anhydride produced is used to make cellulose acetate for film production. The BP process uses syngas generated from North Sea gas which is piped directly to the BP plant in EIull. [Acetic anhydride manufacture M. J. Eloward, M. D. Jones, M. S. Roberts, S. A. Taylor, Catalysis Today, 1993, 18, 325]. 

Current commercial processes for syngas and H2 production largely depends on fossil fuels both as the source of hydrogen and as the source of energy for the production processing.4 Fossil fuels are nonrenewable energy resources, but they provide a more economical path to hydrogen production in the near term (next 5-20 years) and perhaps they will continue to play an important role in the midterm (20-50 years from now). Alternative processes need to be developed that do not... 

In 1979 Chem Systems initiated a program to develop a liquid-entrained catalyst reactor which would provide improved contacting of syngas with the catalyst in a three phase system (ref. 38). This reactor system uses much finer catalyst particles than the fluidized bed reactor, and the catalyst-liquid slurry circulates through the reactor. The syngas can be contacted with the catalyst-liquid slurry either counter currently or co-currently. It appears that this process is more efficient than the original fluidized bed process. However, a major problem with this type of three phase system will no doubt be the development of a suitable catalyst since it is unlikely that conventional co-precipitated Cu-ZnO-A Oj catalysts will have the desired characteristics, particularly mechanical strength. 

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