In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, an oxygen carrying material may include a primary active mass, a primary support material, and a secondary support material. The oxygen carrying material may include about 20% to about 70% by weight of the primary active mass, the primary active mass including a composition having a metal or metal oxide selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, Mn, Sn, Ru, Rh, and combinations thereof. The oxygen carrying material may include about 5% to about 70% by weight of a primary support material. The oxygen carrying material may include about 1% to about 35% by mass of a secondary support material.

The invention relates to a method and to a plant for chemical looping oxidation-reduction combustion (CLC) of a gaseous hydrocarbon feed, for example natural gas essentially containing methane. According to the invention, catalytic steam reforming of the feed is performed between two successive feed combustion steps on contact with an oxidation-reduction active mass in form of particles. The reforming catalyst is arranged in a fixed bed in an intermediate reforming zone (130) between the two reduction zones (120, 140) where the two combustion steps are conducted.

The invention provides highly reactive nano-sized alumina particle compositions, including alumina compositions with a BET surface areas on the order of 2000 m.sup.2/g. Also disclosed are impregnated alumina supports comprising materials that are metal oxides or carbonates. Methods for the synthesis and fabrication of these compositions are provided, along methods for the use of these compositions as sorbents.

Apparatus operable using concentrated solar radiation, the apparatus comprising a body having a cavity adapted to receive concentrated solar radiation, a heat energy absorber associated with the cavity to receive heat from concentrated solar radiation within the cavity, a chamber containing a body of matter, the chamber being in heat exchange relation with the heat energy absorber to receive heat therefrom for heating the body of matter, and an inlet means for introducing fluid into the chamber for contacting the contained body of matter. Also, a reactor system for contacting a reactant liquid with two gaseous reactants, the reactor system comprising two reactors interconnected for circulation of a reactant liquid therebetween, whereby the circulating reactant liquid is enabled to react with a gaseous reactant introduced into one reactor and to also react with a gaseous reactant introduced into the other reactor.

The invention relates to a plant and to a method for chemical looping oxidation-reduction combustion of a gaseous hydrocarbon feed, for example natural gas essentially containing methane. According to the invention, catalytic pre-reforming of the feed is performed in a pre-reforming zone comprising a fixed reforming catalyst, while benefiting from a heat transfer between the reduction or oxidation zone of the chemical loop and the pre-reforming zone adjoining the reduction or oxidation zone. Pre-reforming zone (130) and oxidation zone (110) or pre-reforming zone (130) and reduction zone (120) are thus thermally integrated within the same reactor (100) while being separated by at least one thermally conductive separation wall (140).

In a method and a plant for chemical looping oxidation-reduction combustion (CLC) of a gaseous hydrocarbon feed, for example natural gas essentially containing methane, catalytic reforming of the feed is performed within the reduction zone where combustion of the feed is conducted on contact with an oxidation-reduction active mass in form of particles. The reforming catalyst comes in form of untransported fluidized particles within the reduction zone. The catalyst thus confined in the reduction zone does not circulate in the CLC loop.

A composition for binding metal oxides, a metal oxide pellet produced with the binder and metal oxide, and methods for producing the metal oxide pellets. The binder composition includes a pelletizing agent comprising at least one of a cement, a bitumen, and a polymer and a sinter enhancer comprising at least one of a metal sulfide, a metal chloride, and a metal nitrate.

Disclosed herein are systems (e.g., moving bed redox systems) and methods for supplying thermal energy to an endothermic chemical process.

The present disclosure teaches a system and method of generating electricity via a thermal power plant. The system and method includes a fuel heating chamber configured to receive a nano-thermite fuel, an induction assembly configured to inductively heat the fuel in the fuel heating chamber, and an electricity generating subsystem configured to convert heat from the heated nano-thermite fuel into electricity.

The invention is a method for chemical looping (CLC) oxidation-reduction combustion of liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks carried out in a fluidized bed. A liquid hydrocarbon feedstock (2) is partly vaporized on contact with a hot particle solid (1) to form a partly vaporized liquid feedstock and to form coke on the solid prior to contacting partial vaporized liquid feedstock (19) with a redox active mass of particles (12) to achieve combustion of the partially vaporized liquid feed (19). The hot solid particles can notably be from a second fluidized-bed particle circulation loop.