Pathways are disclosed for the production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products comprising propane and/or butane, and in certain cases renewable products having non-petroleum derived carbon. In particular, a gaseous feed mixture comprising CO.sub.2 in combination with CH.sub.4 and/or H.sub.2 is converted by reforming and/or reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reactions, further in combination with LPG synthesis. A preferred gaseous feed mixture comprises biogas or otherwise a mixture of CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 that is not readily upgraded using conventional processes. Catalysts described herein have a high activity for reforming (including dry reforming) of CH.sub.4, as well as simultaneously catalyzing RWGS. These attributes improve the management of CO.sub.2 that is input to the disclosed processes, particularly in those utilizing recycle operation to increase overall CO.sub.2 conversion. Economics of small scale operations may be improved, if necessary, using an electrically heated reforming reactor in the first or initial reforming stage or RWGS stage.

A novel NiFeAl-based catalytic material was developed for the conversion of methane, the main constituent of natural gas, to synthesis gas, which is a mixture of H.sub.2 and CO in a H.sub.2/CO molar ratio of 2, through partial oxidation by air at reasonable temperatures.

A feedstock delivery system transfers a carbonaceous material, such as municipal solid waste, into a product gas generation system. The feedstock delivery system includes a splitter for splitting bulk carbonaceous material into a plurality of carbonaceous material streams. Each stream is processed using a weighing system for gauging the quantity of carbonaceous material, a densification system for forming plugs of carbonaceous material, a de-densification system for breaking up the plugs of carbonaceous material, and a gas and carbonaceous material mixing system for forming a carbonaceous material and gas mixture. A pressure of the mixing gas is reduced prior to mixing with the carbonaceous material, and the carbonaceous material to gas weight ratio is monitored. A transport assembly conveys the carbonaceous material and gas mixture to a first reactor where at least the carbonaceous material within the mixture is subject to thermochemical reactions to form the product gas.

The invention includes a gas processing system for transforming a hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into outflow gas products, where the system includes a gas delivery subsystem, a plasma reaction chamber, and a microwave subsystem, with the gas delivery subsystem in fluid communication with the plasma reaction chamber, so that the gas delivery subsystem directs the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the plasma reaction chamber, and the microwave subsystem directs microwave energy into the plasma reaction chamber to energize the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas, thereby forming a plasma in the plasma reaction chamber, which plasma effects the transformation of a hydrocarbon in the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the outflow gas products, which comprise acetylene and hydrogen. The invention also includes methods for the use of this gas processing system.

A method that combines a fuel cell with a Gas Recovery Unit (GRU) to a methanol plant to produce methanol at near zero GHG emissions. The fuel cell generates steam, carbon dioxide and electricity. A GRU unit condenses, separates, recovers, pressurizes and reheats the fuel cell anode exhaust stream. The GRU prepares a stream of natural gas and steam to feed the fuel cell anode and a stream of carbon dioxide and air to feed the fuel cell cathode. The GRU also prepares streams of carbon dioxide and steam as reactants for the stoichiometric mixture with natural gas to produce synthesis gas in an electric catalytic reformer at a methanol plant. The electric catalytic reformer uses electricity, steam and/or carbon dioxide reactants produced by the fuel cell to produce synthesis gas for conversion to methanol with low GHG emissions.

The present disclosure relates to a processes and systems for producing fuels from biomass with high carbon conversion efficiency. The processes and systems described herein provide a highly efficient process for producing hydrocarbons from biomass with very low Green House Gas (GHG) emissions using a specific combination of components, process flows, and recycle streams. The processes and systems described herein provide a carbon conversion efficiency greater than 95% with little to no GHG in the flue gas due to the novel arrangement of components and utilizes renewable energy to provide energy to some components. The system reuses water and carbon dioxide produced in the process flows and recycles naphtha and tail gas streams to other units in the system for additional conversion to syngas to produce hydrocarbon-based fuels.

A system for obtaining power by the use of low-quality hydrocarbons and hydrogen produced from the water in the generation of combustion energy having: a combustion chamber; a nozzle support module located at the proximal extremity of the combustion chamber; at least one principal nozzle (S) and at least one start-up burner nozzle (P), a number of spark igniter electrodes (H) located in the nozzle support module; at least three hermetic chambers connected in series covering the length of a flame, where a vaporisation chamber, a gasification chamber and at least one thermal cracking chamber surround the combustion chamber; a flame outlet, located at the distal extremity of the combustion chamber.

A method of producing liquid fuel and/or chemicals from a carbonaceous material entails combusting a conditioned syngas in pulse combustion heat exchangers of a steam reformer to help convert carbonaceous material into first reactor product gas which includes carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases. A portion of the first reactor product gas is transferred to a hydrogen reformer into which additional conditioned syngas is added and a reaction carried out to produce an improved syngas. The improved syngas is then subject to one or more gas clean-up steps to form a new conditioned syngas. A portion of the new conditioned syngas is recycled to be used as the conditioned syngas in the pulse combustion heat exchangers and in the hydrocarbon reformer. A system for carrying out the method include, a steam reformer, a hydrocarbon reformer, first and second gas-cleanup systems, a synthesis system and an upgrading system.

The present invention describes a processes, systems, and catalysts for the conversion of carbon dioxide and water and electricity into low carbon or zero carbon high quality fuels and chemicals. In one aspect, the present invention provides an integrated process for the conversion of a feed stream comprising carbon dioxide to a product stream comprising hydrocarbons between 5 and 24 carbon atoms in length.

An apparatus for producing synthesis gas (syngas) is provided. The apparatus includes a hub, including an autothermal dry reforming of methane apparatus, configured to receive CO.sub.2 and O.sub.2, and configured to produce a first stream of syngas with low a H.sub.2/CO mole ratio; an autothermal steam reforming of methane apparatus, configured to receive steam and O.sub.2, and configured to produce a second stream of syngas with a high H.sub.2/CO mole ratio; an H.sub.2 separation apparatus, configured to receive H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2, and coupled to the autothermal dry reforming of methane apparatus to deliver CO.sub.2 thereto; and a reactor for converting CO to H.sub.2 using a water-gas shift reaction, coupled to the autothermal steam reforming of methane apparatus to receive the second stream of syngas, and coupled to the H.sub.2 separation apparatus to deliver a stream of H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 thereto. A method for producing synthesis gas is provided. The method includes configuring an autothermal dry reforming of methane apparatus to receive CO.sub.2 from industrial emission sources and an H.sub.2 separation apparatus, which receives H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 from a water gas shift reactor fed with a portion of the second stream of syngas from an autothermal steam reforming of methane apparatus.