Liquid Phase Technologies Brochure
Primarily a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, synthesis gas is derived from steam reforming or partial oxidation of natural gas as well as the gasification of coal, heavy oil and other environmentally disadvantaged feedstocks. With major support from the U.S. Department of Energy, the company has invested more than two decades into the development of its Liquid Phase technologies to support the refinery, petrochemical and gas processing industries.
LPMEOH technology can directly process synthesis gas rich in hydrogen and carbon oxides without the 2:1 stoichiometric adjustment of hydrogen: carbon monoxide usually necessary in typical gas phase methanol technologies. The methanol produced by the LPMEOH process from carbon-rich synthesis gas typically contains only one percent water by weight and can offer savings of up to ten cents per gallon compared with methanol from conventional technologies.
An extension of the LPMEOH technology, the one-step LPDME process involves three simultaneous but synergistic reactions in one slurry bubble-column reactor: production of methanol from synthesis gas; dehydration of the methanol dimethyl ether; and the water gas shift reaction forming carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The process involves a stable mixture of a methanol synthesis catalyst and a dehydration catalyst in an inert solvent. The high productivity of the reaction translates into low-cost dimethyl ether suitable for a variety of commercial applications.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., 7201 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown, PA 18195-1501. Tel: 800-654-4567. Fax: 800-880-5204.