Abstract: A process for regenerating a spent catalyst having coke deposits thereon in a catalyst regeneration vessel having a dense phase and a dilute phase, wherein the process comprises the steps of: (a) contacting the spent catalyst with a primary oxygen-containing gas in the dense phase, thereby combusting the coke, resulting in the formation of a combustion gas comprising nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide which further reacts, thus reducing a majority of the nitrogen oxides to form elemental nitrogen; and (b) contacting the combustion gas with a secondary oxygen-containing gas, and typically a shield gas, at a location just above the interface between the dense phase and the dilute phase and also in the dilute phase, thereby oxidizing the remaining CO to CO2 without significant temperature rise in the dilute phase due to the after burn.

Abstract: A process and a metal catalyst are provided for the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The process is conducted by contacting a mixture of a hydrocarbon-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a metal catalyst. The metal catalyst is a transition or noble metal supported on a ceria monolith substrate. Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons can be carried out at low initiation temperatures with high product yields.

Abstract: A process for regenerating a spent catalyst having coke deposits thereon in a catalyst regeneration vessel having a dense phase and a dilute phase, wherein the process comprises the steps of: (a) contacting the spent catalyst with a primary oxygen-containing gas in the dense phase, thereby combusting the coke, resulting in the formation of a combustion gas comprising nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide which further reacts, thus reducing a majority of the nitrogen oxides to form elemental nitrogen; and (b) contacting the combustion gas with a secondary oxygen-containing gas, and typically a shield gas, in the dilute phase, thereby oxidizing the remaining CO to CO2 without significant temperature rise in the dilute phase due to the after bum.

Abstract: A metal catalyst and a method of preparing the metal catalyst are disclosed. The metal catalyst consists essentially of a transition or noble metal supported by a ceria coating disposed on a ceramic monolith. Alternatively, a matrix structure can be provided on the ceramic monolith prior to the formation of the ceria coating. The use of the metal catalyst allows partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to be carried out at low initiation temperatures with high product yields and selectivities.

Abstract: Supported perovskite-type oxides are described. The perovskite-type oxides have the general formula of AxA′x′ByB′y′O3-&dgr;, wherein A is an ion of a metal of Group IIIa or IIIb of the periodic table of elements or mixtures thereof; A′ is an ion of a metal of Groups Ia or IIa of the periodic table or mixtures thereof; B and B′ are ions of a d-block transition metal of the periodic table or mixtures thereof; x, x′, y and y′ vary from 0 to 1; 0.95<x+x′<1.05; 0.95<y+y′<1.05; &dgr; is the deviation from ideal oxygen stoichiometry. This invention also provides for the selection of support materials and the shapes of supported perovskite-type oxides as well as the methods for making them.

Abstract: Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a fixed bed or a fluidized bed process which includes the steps of passing steam and/or carbon dioxide through a perovskite-type ceramic mixed conductor in an adsorption zone at an elevated temperature, thereby at least partially saturating the mixed conductor with oxygen and producing hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide, and subsequently contacting the hot, at least partially oxygen-saturated mixed conductor with a hydrocarbon in a partial oxidation reaction zone. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the sorbed oxygen reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Abstract: A process for the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons, such as methane, to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is provided. The process is conducted by contacting a mixture of a hydrocarbon-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a metal catalyst at high gas velocities and low reaction initiation temperatures. The metal catalyst is a transition metal selected from the group of nickel, cobalt, iron, platinum, palladium, iridium, rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium and combinations thereof supported on a ceria monolith. Less than 3% by volume of carbon dioxide is present in the product gas.

Abstract: Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a fixed bed or a fluidized bed process which includes the steps of passing steam and/or carbon dioxide through a perovskite-type ceramic mixed conductor in an adsorption zone at an elevated temperature, thereby at least partially saturating the mixed conductor with oxygen and producing hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide, and subsequently contacting the hot, at least partially oxygen-saturated mixed conductor with a hydrocarbon in a partial oxidation reaction zone. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the sorbed oxygen reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Abstract: Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a cyclical process which includes passing air through a perovskite ceramic substance at elevated temperature, thereby adsorbing oxygen from the air, and subsequently contacting the hot oxygen-containing ceramic substance with a hydrocarbon. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the sorbed oxygen reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing the desired gas products and regenerating the adsorbent for the next cycle of the process.

Abstract: Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a cyclical process, which includes (a) contacting an oxygen ion conducting ceramic with air at a pressure between about 1 and 50 bara in a reactor, wherein oxygen from the air reacts with the ceramic, thereby producing an oxygen-enriched ceramic, and (b) contacting the hot, oxygen-enriched ceramic with hydrocarbon gas and optionally steam in the reactor. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the oxygen-enriched ceramic reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing the desired gas products and regenerating the oxygen ion conducting ceramic for the next cycle of the process.

Abstract: A process and a metal catalyst are provided for the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The process is conducted by contacting a mixture of a hydrocarbon-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a metal catalyst. The metal catalyst is a transition or noble metal supported on a ceria monolith substrate. Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons can be carried out at low initiation temperatures with high product yields.

Abstract: Partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide is carried out by a fluidized bed process which includes the steps of passing air through a perovskite-type ceramic mixed conductor in an adsorption zone at an elevated temperature, thereby at least partially saturating the mixed conductor with oxygen, and subsequently contacting the hot, at least partially oxygen-saturated mixed conductor with a hydrocarbon in a partial oxidation reaction zone. During the partial oxidation reaction phase of the process, the sorbed oxygen reacts with the hydrocarbon, thereby producing hydrogen, carbon monoxide or mixtures of these. The oxygen-depleted mixed conductor is recycled to the adsorption zone.

Abstract: Petrochemicals are produced by the vapor phase reaction of a hydrocarbon with air in the presence of a suitable catalyst. The petrochemical product is removed from the product gas stream, and part or all of the remaining gas stream is passed through a bed of hydrophobic adsorbent, which adsorbs mainly the unreacted hydrocarbon from the gas stream without adsorbing water vapor. The adsorbed hydrocarbon is purged from the bed with air, and the air-hydrocarbon mixture is recycled to the partial oxidation reactor.

Abstract: Hot exhaust gases from oxygen-based fossil fuel fired-furnaces made up predominantly of steam and carbon dioxide are used for reforming a hydrocarbonaceous substance in the presence or absence of oxygen to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Additional hydrogen can be produced by subjecting the carbon monoxide produced in the reaction to the water gas shift reaction.

Abstract: Terephthalic acid is produced by reacting paraxylene with oxygen in a reactor having several vertical stages, the reaction taking place in the liquid phase using acetic acid as solvent and a cobalt-manganese-bromine complex catalyst. During the reaction, a carbon dioxide-containing gas phase is withdrawn from the vapor space of the reactor. The gas phase is cooled to condense vaporized acetic acid therefrom and carbon dioxide is separated from the gas phase and recycled to the vapor space or to the liquid phase or to both of these. In an alternate embodiment, the gas remaining after condensing acetic acid is subjected to catalytic oxidation to oxidize carbon monoxide and methane, if present, to carbon dioxide, and some or all of the carbon dioxide is recycled to the reactor.

Abstract: Hydrocarbon gas is separated from a gas mixture by concentration swing adsorption in a system consisting of a pair of adjacent adsorption beds that are contained in a cylindrical vessel and separated by a flat partition wall. The system is operated with the beds out of phase, such that one bed is in adsorption service while the other bed is regenerated by purging the bed with air. The pressure and temperature in the bed undergoing adsorption does not differ from the pressure and temperature, respectively in the bed being regenerated sufficiently to create significant stresses in the partition separating the beds.

Abstract: A petrochemical is produced by the vapor phase reaction of a hydrocarbon with air in the presence of a suitable catalyst. The petrochemical is removed from the reactor effluent, and part or all of the remaining petrochemical-free gas stream is passed through a hydrocarbon-selective adsorbent, which adsorbs hydrocarbon from the gas stream, leaving a hydrocarbon-depleted waste gas. Hydrocarbon is purged from the adsorbent with air, and the air-hydrocarbon mixture is recycled to the partial oxidation reactor. The purge air, and preferably both the purge air and the petrochemical-free gas stream are dried by passage through beds of zeolite 3A prior to being introduced into the hydrocarbon-selective adsorbent, and the beds of zeolite 3A are regenerated by passing heated hydrocarbon-depleted waste gas therethrough.

Abstract: A process for recovering a given component from a first gas stream in which the given component is intermittently present by PSA or TSA using an adsorbent which more strongly adsorbs the given component by introducing into the first gas stream, prior to PSA or TSA treatment, a second gas stream that is enriched in the given component. The second gas stream may be introduced into the first gas stream only during periods when the concentration of given component in the first gas stream is below its maximum concentration or it may be continuously introduced into the first gas stream at a level which is greater than the maximum concentration of given component originally present in the first gas stream.

Abstract: Selected strongly adsorbed gaseous impurities are removed from a gas stream by pressure swing adsorption in an adsorption system which includes a single adsorption vessel, a gas storage vessel and a single gas pump. Feed gas is pumped at a selected adsorption pressure cocurrently through the adsorption vessel, which contains an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs the selected impurity or impurities. The less strongly adsorbed components of the gas mixture pass out the adsorption vessel through the nonadsorbed gas outlet end of the adsorption vessel. When the adsorbed gas front reaches a certain point in the adsorption vessel, the adsorption step is terminated and gas is countercurrently transferred from the adsorption vessel to a gas storage vessel, optionally with use of the gas pump. The adsorption vessel is then countercurrently evacuated by use of the pump and a selected gas-enriched product is recovered and sent to storage or further processed in downstream treatment operations.

Abstract: A per-fluorocarbon containing gas is treated by contacting per-fluorocarbon contained within the gas with calcium hydride at a temperature in a range of between about 450 and 900.degree. C. The calcium hydride can be contained in a bed mixed with silicon or calcium oxide and such bed can be used in conjunction with a downstream bed of calcium oxide to remove any hydrogen fluoride produced. Also, an upstream bed of calcium fluoride can be used to treat acid gases in case of semiconductor processing applications of the present invention.