Supported molten-metal catalysts

Patent · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2001

OSTI ID:873673

Datta, Ravindra ^[1]; Singh, Ajeet ^[1]; Halasz, Istvan ^[1]; Serban, Manuela ^[1]

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1. Iowa City, IA

An entirely new class of catalysts called supported molten-metal catalysts, SMMC, which can replace some of the existing precious metal catalysts used in the production of fuels, commodity chemicals, and fine chemicals, as well as in combating pollution. SMMC are based on supporting ultra-thin films or micro-droplets of the relatively low-melting (<600.degree. C.), inexpensive, and abundant metals and semimetals from groups 1, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, of the periodic table, or their alloys and intermetallic compounds, on porous refractory supports, much like supported microcrystallites of the traditional solid metal catalysts. It thus provides orders of magnitude higher surface area than is obtainable in conventional reactors containing molten metals in pool form and also avoids corrosion. These have so far been the chief stumbling blocks in the application of molten metal catalysts.

• Research Organization: University of Iowa
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-96ER12184
• Assignee: University of Iowa Research Foundation (Iowa City, IA)
• Patent Number(s): US 6218326
• OSTI ID: 873673
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/502/
12
13
14
15
16
&lt;600degree
abundant
alloys
application
avoids
based
blocks
called
catalysts
chemicals
chief
combating
commodity
compounds
containing
conventional
corrosion
entirely
existing
films
fine
form
fuels
inexpensive
intermetallic
intermetallic compound
low-melting
magnitude
metal
metals
micro-droplets
microcrystallites
molten
molten metal
molten-metal
obtainable
periodic
pollution
pool
porous
precious
production
provides
reactors
refractory
replace
semimetals
smmc
solid
stumbling
supported
supporting
supports
surface
traditional
ultra-thin