Fine particle clay catalysts for coal liquefaction

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5687643· OSTI ID:5687643

Olson, E S

The efficient production of environmentally acceptable distillate fuels requires catalysts for hydrogenation and cleavage of the coal macromolecules and removal of oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur heteroatoms. The goal of the proposed research is to develop new catalysts for the direct liquefaction of coal. This type of catalyst consists of fine clay particles that have been treated with reagents which form pillaring structures between the aluminosilicate layers of the clay. The pillars not only hold the layers apart but also constitute the active catalytic sites for hydrogenation of the coal and the solvent used in the liquefaction. The pillaring catalytic sites are composed of pyrrhotite, which has been previously demonstrated to be active for coal liquefaction. The pyrrhotite sites are generated in situ by sulfiding the corresponding oxyiron species. The size of the catalyst will be less than 40 nm in order to promote intimate contact with the coal material. Since the clays and reagents for pillaring and activating the clays are inexpensive, the catalysts can be discarded after use, rather than regenerated by a costly process. The proposed work will evaluate methods for preparing the fine particle iron-pillared clay dispersions and for activating the particles to generate the catalysts. Characterization studies of the pillared clays and activated catalysts will be performed. The effectiveness of the pillared clay dispersion for hydrogenation and coal liquefaction will be determined in several types of testing.

• Research Organization: Universal Fuel Development Associates, Inc., Grand Forks, ND (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC22-91PC90048
• OSTI ID: 5687643
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/90048-T2; ON: DE92008697
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010405* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
CATALYSTS
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CLAYS
COAL LIQUEFACTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
HYDROGENATION
IRON
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFIDES
LIQUEFACTION
METALS
MINERALS
PARTICLES
PROGRESS REPORT
PYRRHOTITE
SULFIDE MINERALS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS