Abstract: A submicron-particle-enhanced catalyst and method for its making are disclosed. The catalyst comprises <1 micron diameter particles distributed over the surface of a monolith or divided carrier to provide a high surface area catalyst having highly dispersed catalytic active sites available for catalyzing fast chemical reactions at short contact time and high space time yield. A syngas production method carried out in a short contact time reactor is disclosed in which a gaseous stream of light hydrocarbon and O2 is passed over a submicron-particle-enhanced catalyst to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Abstract: A catalyst and method for producing hydrocarbons using a catalyst support having an improved hydrothermal stability, such as under Fischer-Tropsch synthesis conditions. The stabilized support is made by a method comprising treating a boehmite material in contact with at least one structural stabilizer. Contacting the boehmite with at least one structural stabilizer can include forming a mixture comprising the boehmite material and at the least one structural stabilizer. The mixture can be a sol or a slurry. The treating preferably includes drying or spray drying the mixture, and calcining in an oxidizing atmosphere to obtain the stabilized support. Preferred structural stabilizers can include an element, such as cobalt, magnesium, zirconium, boron, aluminum, barium, silicon, lanthanum, oxides thereof, or combinations thereof; or can include precipitated oxides, such as a co-precipitated silica-alumina.

Abstract: A hydrothermally-stable catalyst, method for making the same, and process for producing hydrocarbon, wherein the catalyst is used in synthesis gas conversion to hydrocarbons. In one embodiment, the method comprises depositing a compound of a catalytic metal selected from Groups 8, 9, and 10 of the Periodic Table on a support material comprising boehmite to form a composite material; and calcining the composite material to form the catalyst. In other embodiments, the support material comprises synthetic boehmite, natural boehmite, pseudo-boehmite, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming a highly active Fischer-Tropsch catalyst using boehmite having a particular crystallite size. In this method, a support material comprising boehmite is contacted with a catalytic metal-containing compound to form a catalyst precursor. The boehmite is selected to have an average crystallite size in the range of from about 6 nanometers (nm) to about 30 nm. An alternate embodiment uses a mixture of boehmites with various average crystallite sizes in the range of from about 4 nm to about 30 nm, differing by at least by 1 nm. Subsequently, the catalyst precursor is calcined to convert the boehmite to a stabilized aluminum oxide structure, thereby forming a catalyst support having a good attrition resistance and a relatively high hydrothermal stability.

Abstract: The present invention presents an iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst having a low water-gas shift activity and high selectivity and productivity toward a hydrocarbon wax wherein said catalyst comprises iron; silver; sodium, lithium, potassium, rubidium and/or cesium; optionally, calcium, magnesium, boron, and/or aluminum; and a silica structural promoter. The present invention further presents a method of making a precipitated iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst. The present invention still further presents a process for producing hydrocarbons using the iron-based, precipitated Fischer-Tropsch catalyst of the present invention.

Abstract: A method for making a catalyst is provided that features loading a catalytic metal to a support using at least two different precursor compounds of that said metal; and loading the promoter to the support in an amount effective so as to achieve similar promotion as for a comparable catalyst comprising a greater amount of the promoter using only one precursor compound, where the catalytic metal is selected from among Group 8 metals, 9 metal, Group 10 metals, and combinations thereof. The promoter is preferably boron, silver, a noble metal, or combination thereof. Also provided are catalysts made by the method and Fischer-Tropsch processes that include contacting synthesis gas with a catalyst made by the method.

Abstract: The present invention teaches a method for increasing the cobalt surface area per gram of catalyst in a cobalt Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, supported on a silica-based carrier material, by using cobalt amine carbonate precursors. A Fischer-Tropsch catalyst preferably includes a catalytically active first metal containing cobalt, and a carrier material containing silica or a silica compound with a cobalt surface area greater than 13 m2/g catalyst. The catalyst active in the FT reaction has a minimum alpha value of 0.87 and a CO conversion of 24 wt % or more. In accordance with another preferred embodiment, a process for producing a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst includes saturating silica or silica compounds with a solution of cobalt amine carbonate, removing the excess solution by filtration, heating the resulting product in order to allow cobalt hydroxycarbonate to precipitate, and drying and calcining the resulting product. Optionally the calcined product is reduced.

Abstract: A heavy metal poisoned, spent FCC catalyst is treated by chemically impregnating the poisoned catalyst with a new catalytic metal or metal salt to provide an attrition resistant catalyst or sorbent for a different catalytic or absorption processes, such as catalysts for Fischer-Tropsh Synthesis, and sorbents for removal of sulfur gasses from fuel gases and flue-gases. The heavy metal contaminated FCC catalyst is directly used as a support for preparing catalysts having new catalytic properties and sorbents having new sorbent properties, without removing or "passivating" the heavy metals on the spent FCC catalyst as an intermediate step.