Promotion effects on the synthesis of higher alcohols. Second quarterly report, December 1982-February 1983

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6493738

Goodwin, Jr, J G; Chuang, S C

The importance of the direct synthesis of higher (C/sub 2/-C/sub 6/) alcohols from synthesis gas as a promising route for providing clean fuels and petrochemical feedstocks is generally recognized. It is known that the addition of alkali salts to methanol synthesis (SMSI) catalysts shifts the products to higher alcohols. The effect of various alkalis (Na, K, Rb, and Cs) on CO chemisorption, on the activiyt and selectivity for higher alcohol synthesis reaction, and on the deactivation characteristics of the catalyst will be determined for both supported metals (such as Pd and Pt) and mixed metal-metal oxide catalysts (such as Cu/ZnO and Cu/ZnO/Co). Direct measurement of electronic interactions between the alkali promoters and the other catalysts components will be attempted. During the second quarter of the project the high pressure reaction system has been built and initial catalysts preparation and characterization begun. An initial study of the effect of ZnO as a support for a CO hydrocondensation catalyst has been completed and is detailed in this report. The results illustrate that the catalytic properties of a metal can be modified by a support. Depending on the support, used the activity for F-T over Ru varied by as much as 2 orders of magnitude. Methane selectivity went from 21 to 98 wt. % and olefin selectivity ranged between ca. 0 and 90% of the C/sub 2/-C/sub 4/ hydrocarbons. The most-interesting supports studied were ZnO and La/sub 2/O/sub 3/ since they were able to produce low CH/sub 4/ yields and very high (> 80%) olefin yields. Ru/La/sub 2/O/sub 3/ was one of the most-active catalysts (on a site basis) whereas Ru/ZnO was one of the least-active. The results suggest that ZnO may be SMSI support. It would appear that n-type semiconductors are more likely to have SMSI than p-type.

• Research Organization: Pittsburgh Univ., PA (USA). Dept. of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
• DOE Contract Number: FG22-82PC50810
• OSTI ID: 6493738
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/50810-T2; ON: DE83009340
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

090221* -- Alcohol Fuels-- Chemical Synthesis-- (1976-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201 -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
ALCOHOLS
ALKALI METALS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CATALYSIS
CATALYST SUPPORTS
CATALYSTS
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CESIUM
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISORPTION
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LANTHANUM COMPOUNDS
LANTHANUM OXIDES
METALS
METHANOL
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM
PROMOTERS
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
RUBIDIUM
RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS
RUTHENIUM OXIDES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM
SORPTION
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS GAS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ZINC COMPOUNDS
ZINC OXIDES