A reactor for Fischer-Tropsch reaction effected in a three-phase system essentially consisting of a gaseous reagent phase, a liquid reacted phase and a solid catalytic phase, wherein the solid catalytic phase is composed of packed bodies encaged in at least one open-cell foam structure with a high thermal conductivity.

A process for the conversion of a feed comprising a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide to hydrocarbons, the hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the feed being present in a ratio of from 1:9 to 9:1 by volume, the process comprising the steps of: pre-treating a catalyst composition comprising titanium dioxide support and oxidic cobalt or a cobalt compound decomposable thereto, for a period of from 1 to 50 hours, with a hydrogen gas-containing stream comprising less than 10% carbon monoxide gas by volume of carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen gas, to form a reductively-activated catalyst; and contacting the feed at elevated temperature and atmospheric or elevated pressure with the reductively-activated catalyst; wherein the step of pre-treating the catalyst composition is conducted within a temperature range of from 200 C. to less than 300 C., preferably from 220 C. to 280 C., more preferably from 250 C. to 270 C.

A method of treating or refining a wax includes hydrogenating a feed wax which has an MEK-solubility oils content of more 0.5 weight % to provide a hydrogenated wax. Thereafter the hydrogenated wax is de-oiled to reduce the MEK-solubility oils content of the hydrogenated wax, producing a refined wax or a wax product.

Provided is a process for producing hydrogen gas in a separate stream from syngas. An assembly for producing hydrogen gas in a separate stream from syngas and a method of producing hydrogen are also provided.

A Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalyst containing 10 to 30% by mass, as a metal atom, of metallic cobalt and/or cobalt oxide, based on the mass of the catalyst, supported on a carrier containing silica, in which the carrier has an average pore diameter of 8 to 25 nm and the metallic cobalt and/or cobalt oxide has an average crystallite diameter of not less than the average pore diameter of the carrier and less than 35 nm.

The present invention relates to catalytically active material, comprising grains of non-graphitizing carbon with iron nanoparticles dispersed therein, wherein d.sub.p, the average diameter of iron nanoparticles in the non-graphitizing carbon grains, is in the range of 1 nm to 20 nm, D, the average distance between iron nanoparticles in the non-graphitizing carbon grains, is in the range of 2 nm to 150 nm, and , the combined total mass fraction of metal in the non-graphitizing carbon grains, is in the range of 30 wt % to 70 wt % of the total mass of the non-graphitizing carbon grains, and wherein d.sub.p, D and conform to the following relation: 4.5 d.sub.p/>D0.25 d.sub.p/. The present invention, further, relates to a process for the manufacture of material according to the invention, as well as its use as a catalyst.

A process for producing a methane-containing gas mixture includes the steps of: (i) passing a first feed gas mixture including hydrogen and carbon dioxide through a bed of methanation catalyst to react a portion of the hydrogen with at least a portion of the carbon dioxide and form a methane-containing gas mixture containing residual hydrogen, (ii) adding an oxygen-containing gas to the methane-containing gas mixture containing residual hydrogen to form a second feed gas mixture, and (iii) passing the second feed gas mixture through a bed of an oxidation catalyst to react the residual hydrogen and oxygen to form a hydrogen depleted methane-containing gas mixture.

Preparation of a catalyst suitable for use in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis reactions using a two step process in which the steps may be performed in either order. In step a), impregnate an iron carboxylate metal organic framework selected from a group consisting of iron-1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate (Fe-(BTC), Basolite F-300 and/or MIL-100 (Fe)), iron-1,4 benzenedicarboxylate (MIL-101(Fe)), iron fumarate (MIL-88 A (Fe)), iron-1,4 benzenedicarboxylate (MIL-53 (Fe)), iron-1,4 benzenedicarboxylate (MIL-68 (Fe)) or iron azobenzenetetracarboxylate (MIL-127 (Fe)) with a solution of a promoter element selected from alkali metals and alkaline earth metals. In step b) thermally decompose the iron carboxylate metal organic framework under an inert gaseous atmosphere to yield a catalyst that is a porous carbon matrix having embedded therein a plurality of discrete aliquots of iron carbide. If desired, add a step intermediate between steps a) and b) or preceding step b) wherein the metal organic framework is impregnated with an oxygenated solvent solution of a polymerizable additional carbon source and the polymerizable additional carbon source is thereafter polymerized.

The invention relates to a method for start-up and operation of a Fischer-Tropsch reactor comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reactor with a fixed bed of reduced Fischer-Tropsch catalyst that comprises cobalt as catalytically active metal; (b) supplying a gaseous feed stream comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen to the reactor, wherein the gaseous feed stream initially comprises a nitrogen-containing compound other than molecular nitrogen in an initial concentration in the range of from 0.1 to 50 ppmv based on the volume of the gaseous feed stream; (c) converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen supplied with the gaseous feed stream to the reactor into hydrocarbons at an initial reaction temperature, wherein the initial reaction temperature is set at a value of at least 200 C. and hydrocarbons are produced at a first yield; (d) maintaining the initial reaction temperature at the set value and maintaining the first yield by decreasing the concentration of the nitrogen-containing compound in the gaseous feed stream supplied to the reactor; (e) optionally increasing the reaction temperature after the concentration of the nitrogen-containing compound in the gaseous feed stream has decreased to a value below 100 ppbv.

Form liquid product stream that has a C.sub.13 to C.sub.20 hydrocarbon content of less than 5.0 wt % based upon a total weight of the liquid product stream via a process that includes contacting synthesis gas with a sulfurized Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 catalyst. The sulfurized Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 catalyst can include ZSM-5, cobalt, an alkali metal, sulfur, and a reduction promoter.