A catalyst system is disclosed for producing para-xylene from a C.sub.8 hydrocarbon mixture comprising ethylbenzene and at least one xylene isomer other than para-xylene. The catalyst system comprises a first catalyst bed and a second catalyst bed. The first catalyst bed comprises a first zeolite and a rhenium hydrogenation component. The first zeolite has a constraint index from 1 to 12, an average crystal size from 0.1 to 1 micron and has been selectivated to have an ortho-xylene sorption time of greater than 1200 minutes based on its capacity to sorb 30% of the equilibrium capacity of ortho-xylene at 120? C. and an ortho-xylene partial pressure of 4.5?0.8 mm of mercury. The second catalyst bed comprises a second zeolite and a rhenium hydrogenation component. The second zeolite has a constraint index ranging from 1 to 12 and an average crystal size of less than 0.1 micron.

A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process involving: mixing a quantity of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the feedstock mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217A for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05% wt. to 0.50% wt. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil can be used as or as a blending stock for an ISO 8217 compliant, IMO MARPOL Annex VI (revised) compliant low sulfur or ultralow sulfur heavy marine fuel oil. A device for conducting the process is also disclosed.

A plant and a process for carrying out the continuous production of fatty alcohol from fatty acid ester by catalytic trickle-bed hydrogenation, comprising shaft reactors each containing at least one catalyst fixed bed, which are connected with each other via pipe conduits such that they can be traversed by the educt/product mixture one after the other, in freely selectable order.

A process for obtaining an olefin by metathesis including at least two reaction pathways. In at least one first reaction pathway at least one stream with at least one olefin as starting material is fed to at least one first pre-bed reactor with at least one pre-bed having at least one compound selected from the group of alkaline earth metal oxides. The stream leaving the at least one first pre-bed reactor is subsequently fed to at least one main catalyst bed reactor downstream of the at least one first pre-bed reactor including at least one main catalyst bed with at least one first catalyst component comprising a metathesis catalyst, and at least one second catalyst component comprising a catalyst for double bond isomerization, whereby the first and second catalyst are physically mixed with each other.

Integrated systems are provided for the production of higher hydrocarbon compositions, for example liquid hydrocarbon compositions, from methane using an oxidative coupling of methane system to convert methane to ethylene, followed by conversion of ethylene to selectable higher hydrocarbon products. Integrated systems and processes are provided that process methane through to these higher hydrocarbon products.

In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for the oxidative coupling of methane to generate hydrocarbon compounds containing at least two carbon atoms (C.sub.2+ compounds). The method can include mixing a first gas stream comprising methane with a second gas stream comprising oxygen to form a third gas stream comprising methane and oxygen and performing an oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction using the third gas stream to produce a product stream comprising one or more C.sub.2+ compounds.

An apparatus and method for continuously producing a cyclic carbonate which are easily scaled up without requiring a large-sized reactor or excessive ancillary facilities even in the case of producing a cyclic carbonate by using an immobilized catalyst as a catalyst on an industrial scale, are able to produce a cyclic carbonate without impairing the expected catalytic efficiency and catalyst lifetime, are economical, and exhibit excellent industrial productivity. The apparatus includes an adiabatic reactor to be filled with a heterogeneous catalyst for reacting an epoxide with carbon dioxide, a circulation path for returning at least a portion of a fluid mixture in a liquid form flowed out through a reactor outlet into the reactor, a carbon dioxide supply means for continuously supplying carbon dioxide in a liquid form or a supercritical state into the circulation path, and an epoxide supply means.

Exemplary processes for converting one or more oxygenates to one or more olefins are disclosed. In one exemplary aspect, the process can include introducing a first input feed into an adiabatic multistage reactor with a first reactor bed and a second reactor bed. The process can also include contacting the first input feed with the first reactor bed to maintain a first temperature of the first reactor bed within a first temperature range and to produce a first reaction mixture, and introducing a second input feed into the multistage reactor such that the first reaction mixture is mixed with the second input feed to produce a first effluent. The process can also include contacting the first effluent with the second reactor bed to thereby maintain a second temperature of the second reactor bed within a second temperature range and to produce a second reaction mixture. Exemplary systems are also disclosed.

In a novel process for methanol production from low quality synthesis gas, in which relatively smaller adiabatic reactors can be operated more efficiently, some of the inherent disadvantages of adiabatic reactors for methanol production are avoided. This is done by controlling the outlet temperature in the pre-converter by rapid adjustment of the recycle gas, i.e. by manipulating the gas hourly space velocity in the pre-converter.

A device and method for cleaning producer gas includes a filter bed housing and a microwave chamber. The filter bed housing comprises an inlet for carbon-based material and a spent carbon outlet. The microwave chamber comprises a permeable top and wave guides around the perimeter through which microwaves can be introduced into the device using magnetrons. The method comprises using the device by filling the filter bed housing with carbon-based material, introducing microwaves into the microwave chamber using the magnetrons and wave guides, passing the gas through carbon-based material in the filter bed chamber, the microwave chamber, the gas permeable top and the gas outlet.