An apparatus and method to desulfurize a biogas containing sulfur. Since biogas is produced by an anaerobic digester from human, animal, kitchen and agriculture's wastes, Itis a short term recycled product from the photosynthesis of CO.sub.2, and has a net zero carbon emission. The sulfur compounds in the biogas can be removed by the following steps: (1) converting all sulfur compounds into H.sub.2S by the hydrogen produced from the biogas over Pt group metal catalysts; (2) adsorbing the H.sub.2S at high temperature by the regenerable Pt group metal catalyst and adsorbents. The desulfurized biogas is further converted by an ATR/CPO reformer or a steam generating reformer to produce various reformates.

Process and plant for producing hydrocarbon products from a feedstock originating from a renewable source, where a hydrogen-rich stream and on off-gas stream comprising hydrocarbons is formed. A portion of the hydrogen-rich stream is used as a recycle gas stream in a hydroprocessing stage for the production of said hydrocarbon products, and another portion may be used for hydrogen production, while the off-gas stream is treated to remove its H.sub.2S content and used as a recycle gas stream in the hydrogen producing unit, from which the hydrogen produced i.e. make-up hydrogen, is used in the hydroprocessing stage. The invention enables minimizing natural gas consumption in the hydrogen producing unit as well as steam reformer size.

A method of providing a fuel includes providing renewable hydrogen, selectively directing at least a portion of the renewable hydrogen to one or more hydroprocessing units in a fuel production facility, and hydrogenating crude oil derived liquid hydrocarbon in the one or more hydroprocessing units using the renewable hydrogen. The renewable content of a product produced by the one or more hydroprocessing units can be determined by measuring a flow of the hydrogen feedstock, a flow of the crude oil derived liquid hydrocarbon feedstock, a relative amount of hydrogen and carbon in the crude oil derived liquid hydrocarbon feedstock, and/or a relative amount of hydrogen and carbon in the product. The selective direction of the renewable hydrogen can increase the volume of renewable content in liquid transportation fuels.

Steam reforming processes can include treatment of syngas by water gas shift, water separation, and hydrogen separation by pressure swing adsorption (PSA). Additionally, CO.sub.2 can be scrubbed from the syngas prior to the PSA. PSA tail gas, including CH.sub.4, CO, and H.sub.2, can be recompressed and recycled to the PSA for further hydrogen separation and to the steam reformer feed to convert eventually all carbon in the feedstock into CO.sub.2 for the scrubber to separate. Fuel requirements can be fulfilled by part of the hydrogen product to eliminate stack CO.sub.2 emissions. The hydrogen used as fuel is heated and turbo-expanded to provide power before being combusted as fuel. A nitrogen purge may be added.

A method and a system for the coproduction of hydrogen, electrical power, and heat energy. An exemplary method includes desulfurizing a feed stream to form a desulfurized feed stream, reforming the desulfurized feed stream to form a methane rich gas, and providing the methane rich gas to a membrane separator. A hydrogen stream is produced in a permeate from the membrane separator. A retentate stream from the membrane separator is provided to a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Electrical power is produced in the SOFC from the retentate stream.

A chemical plant including: a reforming section arranged to receive a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons and provide a combined synthesis gas stream, wherein the reforming section includes: an electrically heated reforming reactor housing a first catalyst, an autothermal reforming reactor in parallel with the electrically heated reforming reactor, wherein the reforming section is arranged to output a combined synthesis gas stream including at least part of the first and/or second synthesis gas streams, an optional post processing unit downstream the reforming section, a gas separation unit arranged to separate a synthesis gas stream into a water condensate and an intermediate synthesis gas, and a downstream section arranged to receive the intermediate synthesis gas and to process the intermediate synthesis gas to a chemical product and an off-gas. Also, a process for producing a chemical product from a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons.

An apparatus and method to desulfurize a biogas containing sulfur. Since biogas is produced by an anaerobic digester from human, animal, kitchen and agriculture's wastes, it is a short term recycled product from the photosynthesis of CO.sub.2, and has a net zero carbon emission. The sulfur compounds in the biogas can be removed by the following steps: (1) converting all sulfur compounds into H.sub.2S by the hydrogen produced from the biogas over Pt group metal catalysts; (2) adsorbing the H.sub.2S at high temperature by the regenerable Pt group metal catalyst and adsorbents. The desulfurized biogas is further converted by an ATR/CPO reformer or a steam generating reformer to produce various reformates.

A process is proposed for producing pure hydrogen by steam reforming of a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons, preferably natural gas or naphtha, with a simultaneously low and preferably adjustable export steam flow rate. The process includes the steam reforming of the feed gas, for which the heat of reaction required is provided by combustion of one or more fuel gases with combustion air in a multitude of burners arranged within the reformer furnace. According to the invention, the combustion air, before being introduced into the burners, is heated by means of at least one heat exchanger in indirect heat exchange with the hot flue gas to temperatures of at least 530° C.

The present invention provides a process for the manufacture of a useful product from synthesis gas having a desired hydrogen to carbon monoxide molar ratio comprising: gasifying a first carbonaceous feedstock comprising waste materials and/or biomass in a gasification zone to produce a first synthesis gas; optionally partially oxidising the first synthesis gas in a partial oxidation zone to generate oxidised synthesis gas; reforming a second carbonaceous feedstock to produce a second synthesis gas, the second synthesis gas having a different hydrogen to carbon ratio from that of the first raw synthesis gas; combining at least a portion of the first synthesis gas and at least a portion of the second synthesis gas in an amount to achieve the desired hydrogen to carbon molar ratio and to generate a combined synthesis gas and subjecting at least part of the combined synthesis gas to a conversion process effective to produce the useful product. The reforming step enables the conventional water gas shift reaction to be dispensed with.

In a process for the start-up of a hydrodesulfurization section, comprising the steps of providing a natural gas feed, passing the natural gas feed through the waste heat section of a reformer, thereby heating the natural gas feed, and passing the heated natural gas feed through a hydrodesulfurization section, thereby heating the hydrodesulfurization section while producing a desulfurized natural gas stream, a part of the desulfurized natural gas stream is provided as fuel for the reformer, while the remainder of the desulfurized natural gas is recycled to at least one point upstream the waste heat section.