Methane generation promoting method

03 Condensable unpurified fuel gases, derived from gasification or devolatilization processes from solid or liquid fuels, are cracked in the presence of steam in an indirectly heated tubular reactor to convert the condensable energetic fuel gases to non-condensable fuel gases with Iittle or no loss in heating value. The gases are heated up to the cracking temperature of ~1200”. Entrained liquefied ashes from the devolatilization or gasification processes are mixed with purified cold product fuel gas after the steam cracking unit and cooled to solidification. The main part of the entrained solid ash is then removed in a hot cyclone separator, followed by a second cooling step and final separation in a fabric filter. Preferably, the purified fuel gas can be used in a gas motor or a gas turbine for production of electric energy. 02lOO345 Manufacture of synthesis gas Badano, M. Eur. Pat. Appl. EP 999,178 (Cl. COlB3/02), 10 May 2000, Appl. 1998/203,695, 3 Nov 1998. 12. A process for the manufacture of synthesis gas for obtaining compounds such as ammonia or methanol, in which hydrocarbons and steam are reacted first in a primary reforming section and then together with oxygen - in a secondary reforming section, thus obtaining CO, CO*, HI and possibly Na which are then fed to a carbon monoxide coversion section, is distinguished by the fact of reacting hydrocarbons, steam and oxygen in an auto-thermal reforming section provided in parallel with respect to other reforming sections, and feeding the so produced CO, COa, Ha and possibly NZ to the carbon monoxide conversion section. 02/00349 Mechanism for catalytic partial oxidation of methane to syngas over a Ni/A1203 catalyst Jin, R. er al Appl. Card., A, 2000, 201, (I), 71-80. The mechanism of catalytic partial oxidation of methane to syngas (POM) over a Ni/a-A1203 catalyst was studied by using a pulse reactor and temperature-programmed surface reaction techniques. Over a reduced nickel catalyst (Ni’/AlaOs). methane activation follows the dissociation mechanism; while on oxidic nickel catalysts (NiO/Al,Os), methane is first oxidized to carbon dioxide and water, and simultaneously, NiO is reduced to Ni’. CHI dissociation occurs over Nit’ active sites, generating hydrogen and surface C species. A transient process was observed during the CH,/Os reaction. The nickel valence was transformed from NiO to Ni” at a certain critical temperature and simultaneously, the reaction was transformed rapidly from the complete oxidation of methane to the partial oxidation of methane. The POM reaction takes place over a thin layer of the catalyst bed. This reaction zone is nearly isothermal, over which almost 100% of oxygen and more than 90% of methane are converted. The temperature drop in the downstream of the catalyst bed does not imply that the steam or carbon dioxide reforming reaction occurs in the lower part of the bed. Nit’ species constitute the active sites for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas. Both methane and oxygen are activated on Ni’ sites, generating surface NiiC and Ni6+;06- species. These two kinds of intermediates have been proposed to account for the mechanism of methane partial oxidation, The Ni*+@ species over Ni’ catalyst surface is considered to be a kind of weakly bounded, mobile oxygen species. The reaction between Ni6+:06- and NiiC intermediates generate the primary product of CO. However, the presence of NiO over the catalyst surface significantly reduces the CO selectivity. Thus, the NiO species are not possible to be the intermediate for the POM reaction. The mechanism of partial oxidation of methane should follow the direct oxidation route. 02lOO350 Methane generation promoting method Wakahara, S. et al. Jpn. Kokai Tokkyo Koho JP 2000 102,779 (Cl. B09B3/00), i1 Apr 2000, Appl. 1998/274,110, 19 Sep 1998. 4. (In Japanese) CHI generation by anaerobic digestion of organic wastes in a fermentation tank is accelerated by decreasing sulphide ion concentration in digestion sludge in the tank. Precipitation of metals indispensable for anaerobic digestion is suppressed by decreasing the sulphide ion concentration to heighten the activity of anaerobic digestion and increase CH,, generation. Organic wastes are fermented to recover CHI as a fuel. 02/00351 Method and apparatus for producing mediumheat value combustible gas from oxygen gasification of biomass Xu, B. et al. Faming Zhuanli Shenqing Gongkai Shuomingshu CN 1,221,777 (Cl. ClOJ3/20), 7 Jul 1999, Appl. 97,114,339, 31 Dee 1997. 6. (In Chinese) The process comprises feeding biomass through heating unit to fluidized-bed gasification furnace while feeding O-enriched gas to gas chamber from the bottom of the furnace, gasifying at 700-850”, separating the medium-heat value combustible gas and unreacted C carried by combustible gas, and feeding the separated C back to the furnace. The apparatus consists of long cylindrical ffuidized-bed gasification furnace with a gas distributing chamber and an ash outlet

at its bottom, cyclone separator furnace, C recycle unit at manufacturing unit, etc.

Gaseous fuels (derived gaseous fuels) connected with one gas outlet from the the bottom of separator, and Oa-

02100352 Method for conversion of carbon dioxide with methane to be carbon monoxide and hydrogen Hatatani, Y. er al. Jpn. Kokai Tokkyo Koho JP 2000 178,005 (Cl. COlB3/40), 27 Jun 2000, Appl. 1998/360,227, 18 Dee 1998. 7. (In Japanese) The method is carried out by contacting CO2 and CH,, (e.g. natural gas) with a catalyst comprising a support loaded with rare earth metal oxide; alkaline earth metal oxide; nickel (oxide); and rhodium (oxide) at 5-30 wt.% with 0.005-0.4, 0.01-1, 0.3-20 molar ratio of Rh, rare earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal oxide to Ni, respectively, to form CO and Hz as syngas. 02/00353 Method for driving a reformer and co-oxidation unit Boneberg, S. er at. Eur. Pat. Appl. EP 995,716 (CI. COIB3/58), 26 Apr 2000, DE Appl. 19,847,211, 13 Ott t998. 7. (In German) An endothermic catalytic steam reformer is operated in combination with an exothermic catalytic CO-oxidation unit for production of Hsrich gases under controlled 0s (air) feeding. The units are coupled thermally by a heat-conductive wall. The reformer and combustor can be used for transformation of MeOH to H2 and CO*, e.g. for use in fuel cells. 02lOO354 Method for manufacture of synthesis gas Genkin, V.N., Genkin, M.V. Russ. RU 2,119,888 (Cl. COlB3/36), Ott 1998, Appt. 98,101,792, 10 Feb 1998. 249. (In Russian) Title only translated

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02100355 Method for purifying coal gas from gasification Ochi, E. ef a/. Faming Zhuanli Shenqing Gongkai Shuomingshu CN 1,206,038 (Cl. CIOK1/08), 27 Jan 1999, Appl. 98,115,599, 6 Jul 1998. 16. (In Chinese) The method comprises absorbing sequentially CI, N, S compounds (e.g. HCI, NH,, SO,, HaS) with absorption solutions in three different absorption towers topurify the synthetic coal gas prepared by gasifying coal or heavy oil. The pH values of absorption solutions should be adjusted to those most suitable for absorbing CI, N, or compounds. 02/00356 Method of and means for producing combustible gases from low grade fuel Ormat, T. Israeli IL 102,343 (Cl. ClOB53/00), 12 Mar 1999, Appl. 102,343, 28 Jun 1992. 39. A method for producing combustible gases from solid fuel (e.g. oil shale) comprises (a) pryrolysing a portion of the fuel in a pyrolyser to produce the combustible gases and carbonaceous material; (b) supplying the carbonaceous material from the pyrolyser to a furnace and adding to the furnace a further portion of the solid fuel for combusting the carbonaceous material and further portion of solid fuel to produce combustion products that include hot flue gases and ash particulate; (c) separating the combustion products into two streams, one of which contains coarse ash and the other of which contains flue gases and fine ash; (d) directing ash from the coarse ash stream into the pyrolyser, and (e) adding a fuel having a high sulphur content to the furnace for maintaining the required temperature in the furnace. 02lOO357 Modeling homogeneous and heterogeneous chemistry in the production of syngas from methane Goralski, C.T. et al. Chem. Erg. Sci., 2000, 55, (8), 1357-1370. A high-temperature, short-contact-time catalytic rhodium monolith reactor for the production of synthesis gas from methane is modelled as a plug-flow tubular reactor using detailed heterogeneous and homogeneous chemistries. The surface reactions are modelled with a 19elementary-step mechanism for methane on rhodium surfaces, while gas-phase reactions are modelled with GRI-Mech 2.11 which includes 227 reversible reactions. Simulations are performed at different pressures, preheat temperatures, compositions, and catalyst pore sizes. The model calculations show that there is significant interplay between homogeneous and heterogeneous chemistry. Homogeneous chemistry, which is generally unselective for syngas production, is favoured by high pressure, large catalyst pores, and high preheat temperature. Heterogeneous chemistry is favoured by low pressure, small pores, and low preheat temperature. The onset of gas-phase chemistry can be avoided by feeding air rather than oxygen into the reactor. At industrially practical pressures, air-fed reactors may be viable because less unselective homogeneous chemistry occurs. Experimental agreement with this model is very good for oxygen and preheated-air feeds at low to moderate pressure. Fuel and Energy Abstracts

January 2002

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