A plant and process for producing a hydrogen rich gas are provided, said process including the steps of: steam reforming a hydrocarbon feed into a synthesis gas; shifting the synthesis gas and conducting the shifted gas to a hydrogen purification unit, subjecting CO.sub.2-rich off-gas from the hydrogen purification unit to a carbon dioxide removal in a low temperature CO.sub.2-removal section and recycling CO.sub.2-depleted off-gas rich in hydrogen to the process. A drying unit upstream the CO.sub.2-removal section is provided, under the addition of regeneration gas produced in the plant and process.

A method of producing formaldehyde, the method comprising: generating electrolytic hydrogen from the electrolysis of water; providing a feedstock gas stream comprising the electrolytic hydrogen and one or both of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; converting at least a portion of the feedstock gas to methanol; converting at least a portion of the methanol to formaldehyde and hydrogen; separately recovering at least some of the formaldehyde and at least some of the hydrogen; and recycling at least some of the recovered hydrogen to the feedstock gas stream.

A hexaaluminate-containing catalyst for reforming hydrocarbons. The catalyst consists of a hexaaluminate-containing phase, which consists of cobalt and at least one further element from the group consisting of La, Ba, and Sr, and an oxidic secondary phase. To prepare the catalyst, an aluminum source is brought into contact with a cobalt-containing metal salt solution, dried, and calcined. The metal salt solution additionally contains the at least one further element. The reforming of methane and carbon dioxide is great economic interest since synthesis gas produced during this process can form a raw material for the preparation of basic chemicals. In addition, the use of carbon dioxide as a starting material is important in the chemical syntheses in order to bind carbon dioxide obtained as waste product in numerous processes by a chemical route and thereby avoid emission into the atmosphere.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a method for making fuels and feedstocks from readily available alcohol starting materials. In some embodiments, the method concerns converting alcohols to carbonyl-containing compounds and then condensing such carbonyl-containing compounds together to form oligomerized species. These oligomerized species can then be reduced using by-products from the conversion of the alcohol. In some embodiments, the method further comprises converting saturated, oligomerized, carbonyl-containing compounds to aliphatic fuels.

The present invention relates to a process and a system for the production of hydrogen and carbon by catalytic non-oxidative decomposition of hydrocarbons, such as saturated C.sub.1+ hydrocarbons, such as methane, in the presence of a fresh or a spent catalyst composition comprising at least one carbon catalyst. The process of the invention is characterised in that the fresh or spent catalyst composition is heated by means of induction heating to a temperature comprised between 500 C. and 1100 C. The catalyst compositions as applied in accordance with the invention comprise, and preferably consist of, (I) a first component, wherein said first component is selected from one or more non-porous carbon catalysts and/or one or more porous carbon catalysts; and (II) optionally, a second component, wherein said second component consists of a non-carbon material, and preferably is a ceramic or zeolitic support material. Further provided are a spent catalyst obtained when carrying out a process of the invention, and uses thereof.

A method for synthesizing a MoO.sub.3@Al.sub.2O.sub.3MgO nanocomposite material incudes adding distilled water and ammonium molybdate to a powder mixture of Al(NO.sub.3).sub.3.Math.9H.sub.2O, Mg(Ac).sub.2.Math.4H.sub.2O, and sucrose to form a reaction mixture and heating the reaction mixture to a reaction temperature in a range of 150 C. to 220 C. to form a carbonized product. The method further includes grinding the carbonized product to form a ground carbonized product and calcining the ground carbonized product at a temperature of about 700 C. to 800 C. for a period of 2 to 4 hours to form the MoO.sub.3@Al.sub.2O.sub.3MgO nanocomposite material. The MoO.sub.3 content of the MoO.sub.3@Al.sub.2O.sub.3MgO nanocomposite material ranges from 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % and the MoO.sub.3@Al.sub.2O.sub.3MgO nanocomposite material has a hydrogen generation rate of greater than or equal to 400 mL.Math.min.sup.1.Math.g.sup.1, when used to generate hydrogen from NaBH.sub.4.

Process for the preparation of a catalyst comprising the steps of (a) preparing a slurry comprising clay, zeolite, and quasi-crystalline boehmite, provided that the slurry does not comprise peptized quasi-crystalline boehmite, (b) adding a monovalent acid to the slurry, (c) adding a silicon source to the slurry, and (d) shaping the slurry to form particles. This process leads to a catalyst with high accessibility and high attrition resistance.

In general, disclosed herein are methods for forming hydrogen by use of an ammonia decomposition catalyst system. For instance, a method can include contacting a catalyst system with an ammonia source at a temperature of about 450 C. or lower. The catalyst systems can include a support material and a trimetallic catalyst component carried on the support material and within a reactor. Disclosed catalyst systems can decompose ammonia at relatively low temperatures and can provide an efficient and cost-effective route to utilization of ammonia as a carbon-free hydrogen storage and generation material.

A furnace for gas fields, refineries reforming, petrochemical plants, or hydrogen generation by gasification may include: a radiant zone; a convective zone; and a first and second series of pipes through which at least two segregated process gas flows respectively pass. A first process gas flow may enter the furnace through the convective zone and, flowing through the first series of pipes, may leave the furnace through the radiant zone, or alternatively the first process gas flow may enter the furnace through the radiant zone and, flowing through the first series of pipes, may leave the furnace through the radiant zone. At least a second process gas flow may enter the furnace through the convective zone, may pass through the second series of pipes, and may leave the furnace through the convective zone. The second of series of pipes may be made of material resistant to acid gases.

A system and method for producing graphitic carbon, with the method including generating amorphous carbon by microwave pyrolysis of a natural gas feedstock in the presence of a carbon catalyst; treating the amorphous carbon with an oxidizing agent to introduce oxygen functionalities; and converting the treated amorphous carbon to graphitic carbon through electrochemical methods.