Synthesis of methanol in microchnnel

Systematic experimental data have been obtained on the results of catalytic chemical reactions in a microchannel reactor for the synthesis of methanol from synthesis gas. Synthesis gas contains hydrogen, carbon monoxide and dioxide, as well as nitrogen in the ratio 58/29/5/8. The experiments were carried out at different flow rates in the temperature range 190-260C. Experiments were also carried out for methanol synthesis in fixed bed reactor at different synthesis pressures.

Investigation of the Zinc-Copper Catalyst NIAP-06-06 for Steam Conversion of Carbon Monoxide in the Synthesis of Methanol

The possibility to use the zinc-copper catalyst NIAP-06-06 for steam conversion of CO in the synthesis of methanol was explored. The catalyst was characterized by means of TPR H2, XRD and SEM methods and tested in the methanol synthesis in flow and circulation modes at a pressure of 5.0 MPa and gas hourly space velocity of 3000 h–1 over a temperature range of 220–260 °С. The catalyst was shown to be highly active and selective toward the methanol synthesis from a gas with the H2 /СО ratio 3.9, which is obtained by steam conversion of methane. The use of tubular catalytic reactors connected in series in the flow-circulation mode makes it possible to convert more than 70 % of CO and obtain crude methanol with the concentration of 95 %. In the circulation mode, a methanol output of 427.7 kg/(m3 cat·h) was achieved on the catalyst.

Hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol using Cu-based catalyst supported on oxide pellets

Hydrogenation of CO2 into methanol is one of the most economical process to reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Since methanol is an industrial commodity used in chemical products as well as transportation fuel, this process has gained considerable interest, which enables the effective utilization of CO2. Nevertheless, the efficiency of direct CO2 hydrogenation to produce methanol is strongly reliant on the activity of the catalyst. In this regard, the present work highlights the synthesis of methanol, catalytic evaluation and characterization of catalysts Cu/ZnO supported on Al2O3 and SBA-15 pellets with the addition of group IV, V and VII metal oxides mixture as promoters. The catalysts were systematically prepared via impregnation technique with fixed Cu:Zn and promoter ratio from group VII:V:IV. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by H2-temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), N2 adsorption-desorption and N2O pulse chemisorption method. The crushing strength of the pellets were also tested. Catalytic performances were evaluated for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation in a tubular, stainless steel fixed-bed reactor at 250 °C, 2 MPa, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) 4000 ml/g.h and H2/CO2 ratio of 3:1. The tri-promoted Cu/ZnO supported on Al2O3 pellet resulted in CO2 conversion of 13.3 % compared to 11.61 % from that of SBA-15-supported catalyst. However, the catalyst supported on SBA-15 pellet exhibited 54.59% methanol selectivity, whereas Al2O3-supported catalyst only resulted in 46.73 % methanol selectivity.

Methanol to olefins conversion: state of the art and prospects of development

The production of olefins by catalytic transformation of methanol on zeolites and zeotypes is of great interest to scientists and specialists in various fringe areas of national economy. Due to implementation of this process on industrial level, the attention gradually shifts from scientific studies devoted to the synthesis and modification of zeolites and zeotypes with different structure to investigation of pilot and industrial plants and determination of the main economic and environmental characteristics of both the existing and the future plants. In 2019, the development of 26 production sites in China with the annual output of 14 million tons of ethylene and propylene was licensed and 14 plants with the total capacity of 7.67 million tons of ethylene and propylene were launched. The created plants provide a complete cycle of coal processing, which consists of coal gasification units yielding syngas, units for the synthesis of methanol and olefins, their refinement and production of polyethylene and polypropylene. The total output of ethylene and propylene at the launched plants was more than 21 million tons. The paper presents a review of publications on the development and modification of catalysts as well as the technological, economic and environmental aspects of olefins production from methanol, which appeared in foreign journals in the recent five years.

Modifications in the Composition of CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst for the Synthesis of Methanol by CO2 Hydrogenation

Renewable methanol, obtained from CO2 and hydrogen provided from renewable energy, was proposed to close the CO2 loop. In industry, methanol synthesis using the catalyst CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 occurs at a high pressure. We intend to make certain modification on the traditional catalyst to work at lower pressure, maintaining high selectivity. Therefore, three heterogeneous catalysts were synthesized by coprecipitation to improve the activity and the selectivity to methanol under mild conditions of temperature and pressure. Certain modifications on the traditional catalyst Cu/Zn/Al2O3 were employed such as the modification of the synthesis time and the addition of Pd as a dopant agent. The most efficient catalyst among those tested was a palladium-doped catalyst, 5% Pd/Cu/Zn/Al2O3. This had a selectivity of 64% at 210 °C and 5 bar.

Modifications in the Composition of CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst for the Synthesis of Methanol by CO2 Hydrogenation

Renewable methanol, obtained from CO2 and hydrogen provided from renewable energy, has been proposed as a way to close the CO2 loop. In industry, methanol synthesis using the catalyst CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 occurs at a high pressure. We intend to make certain modification on the traditional catalyst in order to work at lower pressure, maintaining high selectivity. Therefore, three heterogeneous catalysts have been synthesized by co-precipitation in order to improve the activity and the selectivity to methanol under mild conditions of temperature and pressure. Certain modifications on the traditional catalyst Cu/Zn/Al2O3 were employed such as the modification of the synthesis time and the addition of Pd as a dopant agent. The most efficient catalyst among those tested was a palladium-doped catalyst, 5% Pd/Cu/Zn/Al2O3. This had a selectivity of 64% at 210C and 5 bar.

Integration of Renewable Hydrogen Production in Steelworks Off-Gases for the Synthesis of Methanol and Methane

The steel industry is among the highest carbon-emitting industrial sectors. Since the steel production process is already exhaustively optimized, alternative routes are sought in order to increase carbon efficiency and reduce these emissions. During steel production, three main carbon-containing off-gases are generated: blast furnace gas, coke oven gas and basic oxygen furnace gas. In the present work, the addition of renewable hydrogen by electrolysis to those steelworks off-gases is studied for the production of methane and methanol. Different case scenarios are investigated using AspenPlusTM flowsheet simulations, which differ on the end-product, the feedstock flowrates and on the production of power. Each case study is evaluated in terms of hydrogen and electrolysis requirements, carbon conversion, hydrogen consumption, and product yields. The findings of this study showed that the electrolysis requirements surpass the energy content of the steelwork’s feedstock. However, for the methanol synthesis cases, substantial improvements can be achieved if recycling a significant amount of the residual hydrogen.

In Situ Conditioning of CO2-Rich Syngas during the Synthesis of Methanol

The synthesis of methanol from biomass-derived syngas can be challenging because of the high CO2 content in the bio-syngas, resulting in lower kinetics and higher catalyst deactivation. This work explores the in situ pre-treatment of a CO2-rich syngas with a CO2/CO ratio equal to 1.9 through the reverse-water gas shift reaction with the aim of adjusting this ratio to a more favorable one for the synthesis of methanol with Cu-based catalysts. Both reactions take place in two catalytic beds placed in the same reactor, thus intensifying the methanol process. The water produced during syngas conditioning is removed by means of a sorbent zeolite to prevent the methanol catalyst deactivation and to shift the equilibrium towards the methanol formation. The combination of the CO2 shifting and the water sorption strategies lead to higher productivities of the catalytic bed and, under certain reaction conditions, to higher methanol productions.