Photoactive catalyst and methods of producing H.sub.2 by photocatalytic water splitting. The photoactive catalyst includes an upconverting material, a photocatalyst material, and plasmonic metal nanostructures deposited on the surface of the photocatalyst material. The upconverting material is not embedded in or coated by the photocatalyst material. The upconverting material is capable of emitting light at a first wavelength that has an energy equal to or higher than the band gap of the photocatalyst material and at a second wavelength that can be absorbed by the plasmonic metal nanostructures.

In a process for steam reforming of oxygenates, especially at low steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratios, a feed gas containing oxygenates, such as ethanol, is converted into syngas over a ternary carbide catalyst. Then the reformed gas is either transformed into desired chemicals or mixed into the feed stream to the reformer in a plant, such as an ammonia or methanol plant. The preferred ternary carbide is nickel zinc carbide.

Integrated liquid fuel catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) reformer and fuel cell systems can include a plurality or an array of spaced-apart CPOX reactor units, each reactor unit including an elongate tube having a gas-permeable wall with internal and external surfaces, the wall enclosing an open gaseous flow passageway with at least a portion of the wall having CPOX catalyst disposed therein and/or comprising its structure. The catalyst-containing wall structure and open gaseous flow passageway enclosed thereby define a gaseous phase CPOX reaction zone, the catalyst-containing wall section being gas-permeable to allow gaseous CPOX reaction mixture to diffuse therein and hydrogen rich product reformate to diffuse therefrom. The liquid fuel CPOX reformer also can include a vaporizer, one or more igniters, and a source of liquid reformable fuel. The hydrogen-rich reformate can be converted to electricity within a fuel cell unit integrated with the liquid fuel CPOX reactor unit.

The invention relates to a catalyst for the reforming of propylene glycol, comprising a support material (1) and a catalytic constituent (2), wherein the support material (1) is composed of one or more metal oxides, and the catalytic constituent (2) comprises at least one element selected from the following group: Rh, Ru, Pd, Pt and Ni.

The present invention discloses hydrogen generation systems and methods of using the same. More particularly, hydrogen is generated on demand by injecting liquid feedstock onto a solid aluminum alloy containing a catalyst. The hydrogen may then be stored or used as fuel for various types of energy conversion, such as internal combustion engines or fuel cells. The hydrogen generation reaction oxidizes the alloy to alumina, which can recycled back into the original alloy using conventional smelting methods.

A reformer includes at least one reformer reactor unit (300) having a space-confining wall with external (307) and internal surfaces (306), at least a section of the wall and space confined thereby defining a reforming reaction zone (311), an inlet end (301) and associated inlet (302) for admission of flow of gaseous reforming reactant to the reforming reaction zone (311), an outlet end (303) and associated outlet (304) for outflow of hydrogen-rich reformate produced in the reforming reaction zone (311), at least that section of the wall (305) corresponding to the reforming reaction zone comprising perovskite as a structural component thereof such wall section being gas-permeable to allow gaseous reforming reactant to diffuse therein and hydrogen-rich reformate to diffuse therefrom.

There are provided systems and methods for using partial oxidation to produce an end product from hydrocarbon gases, such as flare gas. There are provided methods and systems to minimize the amount of compression work needed for an air breathing engine reformer in a gas-to-liquid system and method by one or more of: (a) reducing the amount of nitrogen; (b) increasing back-pressure of the engine reformer from standard 1 or 2 bar, to up to 5 bar; (c) use of a turbo-expander to recover much of the compression work, thus lowering the cost, among other efficiencies, to operate a plant; and (d) utilizing an intensified synthesis loop to achieve acceptable methanol synthesis at lower overall pressure. In an embodiment, the end product is methanol.

A liquid fuel reformer includes a fuel vaporizer which utilizes heat from an upstream source of heat, specifically, an electric heater, operable in the start-up mode of the reformer, and therefore independent of the reforming reaction zone of the reformer, to vaporize fuel in a downstream vaporization zone.

The invention relates to a catalyst useful in the steam reforming of hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons. The invention provides a method for preparing a catalyst comprising heating a spinel of formula ANi.sub.xFe.sub.(1-X)CrO.sub.4 where A is Mn or Mg and x is from 0 to 0.75 under reducing conditions at a temperature of from 800 to 1500 C., and catalysts obtainable by said method.

A crude oil is processed to form a hydrocarbon feed stream. The hydrocarbon feed stream is exposed to heat in an absence of oxygen to the convert the hydrocarbon feed stream into a solids stream and a gas stream. The gas stream is separated into an exhaust gas stream and a first hydrogen stream. The carbon is separated from the solids stream to produce a carbon stream. Electrolysis is performed on a water stream to produce an oxygen stream and a second hydrogen stream. At least a portion of the oxygen of the oxygen stream and a second portion of the carbon of the carbon stream are combined to generate power and a carbon dioxide stream. The carbon dioxide is used in dry reforming to produce syngas.