Royal Society of Chemistry Catalysis: Volume 19 (Specialist Periodical Reports - Catalysis)

Catalysis will be of interest to anyone working in academia and industry that needs an up-to-date critical analysis and summary of catalysis research and applications. About the Author Professor Spivey is the McLaurin Shivers Professor of Chemical Engineering at Louisiana State University and Director of the DOE Energy Frontier Research Center at LSU. Professor Spivey's research interests include the application of the principles of heterogeneous catalysis to catalytic combustion, control of sulfur and nitrogen oxides from combustion processes, acid/base catalysis (e.g., for condensation reactions), hydrocarbon synthesis, and the study of catalyst deactivation. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Catalysis Volume 19 A Review of Recent Literature By J.J. Spivey, K.M. Dooley The Royal Society of Chemistry Copyright © 2006 The Royal Society of Chemistry All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-85404-239-5 Contents Promotion Effects in Co-based Fischer-Tropsch Catalysis Fernando Morales and Bert M. Weckhuysen, 1, The Catalysis of Biodiesel Synthesis Edgar Lotero, James G. Goodwin, Jr., David A. Bruce, Kaewta Suwannakarn, Yijun Liu and Dora E. Lopez, 41, Catalysis with Nitrides and Oxynitrides J.S.J. Hargreaves and D. Mckay, 84, Kinetics of Surface Reactions with Lateral Interactions: Theory and Simulations C.G.M. Hermse and A.P.J. Jansen, 109, Methane Decomposition: Production of Hydrogen and Carbon Filaments T.V. Choudhary and D.W. Goodman, 164, Catalytic Reforming of Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels for Fuel Cell Applications Dushyant Shekhawat, David A. Berry, Todd H. Gardner and James J. Spivey, 184, CHAPTER 1 Promotion Effects in Co-based Fischer-Tropsch Catalysis BY FERNANDO MORALES AND BERT M. WECKHUYSEN Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Utrecht University, Debye Institute, Sorbonnelaan 16, Utrecht 3584 CA, The Netherlands 1 General Introduction 1.1 Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis. – Franz Fischer, head of the Max-Planck Institut fur Kohlenforschung in Miilheim (Germany) and Hans Tropsch, a co-worker of Fischer and professor of chemistry in Prague (Czech Republic), Miilheim (Germany) and Chicago (Illinois, USA), discovered in 1922 a catalytic reaction between CO and H2, which yields mixtures of higher alkanes and alkenes. This invention made it possible for Germany to produce fuels from its coal reserves and by 1938 9 Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) plants were in operation making use of, e.g, cobalt-based F–T catalysts. The expansion of these plants stopped around 1940, but existing plants continued to operate during World War II. It is worthwhile to notice that in 1944, Japan was operating 3 F–T plants based on coal reserves. Whilst being a major scientific as well as a technical success, the F–T process could not compete economically with the refining process of crude oil, becoming important starting from the 1950s. All this coincided with major discoveries of oil fields in the Middle East and consequently the price of crude oil dropped. Although a new F–T plant was built in Brownsville (Texas, USA) in 1950, the sharp increase in the price of methane caused the plant to shut down. Thus, due to bad economics F–T technology became of little importance for the industrial world after World War II and no new F–T plants were constructed. An exception was South-Africa, which started making fuels and chemicals from gasified coal based on the F–T process a half century ago due to embargoes initiated by the country's apartheid policies. Till today, South Africa's Sasol (South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation, Ltd.), building its first commercial F–T plant in 1955, is known as a major player in this field. It is remarkable to notice that there is today a renewed interest in F–T technology mainly due to: (i) The rising costs of crude oil. For some time now, the oil prices are well above $50 per barrel. (ii) The drive to supply environmentally friendly automotive