Abstract: A process is disclosed for regenerating a hydrocarbon conversion catalyst comprising zeolite L with ozone. The catalyst is contacted with ozone at a temperature of from about 20 to about 250° C. and a concentration of ozone of from about 0.1 to about 5 mol-%. The catalyst may contain coke. The process at least partially restores the activity of the catalyst. The process is particularly useful for reforming and dehydrocyclodimerization catalysts.

Abstract: A novel integrated system for the co-production of heat and electricity for residences or commercial buildings is based on the cracking of hydrocarbons to generate hydrogen for a fuel cell. Compared to prior art reforming methods for hydrogen production, the cracking reaction provides an input stream to the fuel cell that is essentially free of CO, a known poison to the anode catalyst in many fuel cell designs, such as PEM fuel cells. The cracking reaction is coupled with an air or steam regeneration cycle to reactivate that cracking catalyst for further use. This regeneration can provide a valuable source of heat or furnace fuel to the system. A novel control method for system adjusts the durations of the cracking and regeneration cycles to optimize the recovery of reaction heat.