Abstract: A fuel processing system (FPS) (110) is provided for a fuel cell power plant (115) having a fuel cell stack assembly (CSA) (56). A water gas shift (WGS) reaction section (12, 120) of the FPS (110) reduces the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in the supplied hydrocarbon reformate, and a preferred oxidation (PROX) section (40) further reduces the CO concentration to an acceptable level. The WGS section (12, 120) includes a reactor (124) with a high activity catalyst for reducing the reformate Co concentration to a relatively low level, e.g., 2,000 ppmv or less, thereby relatively reducing the structural volume of the FPS (110). The high activity catalyst is active at temperatures as low as 250° C., and may be a noble-metal-on-ceria catalyst of Pt and Re on a nanocrystaline, cerium oxide-based support. Then only a low temperature PROX reactor (46) is required for preferential oxidation in the FPS (110).

Abstract: A fuel processing system (FPS) (110) is provided for a fuel cell power plant (115) havinf a fuel cell stack assembly (CSA0 (56). The FPS (110) includes a water gas shift (WGS) reaction section (12, 120) for receiving hydrocarbon reformate containing carbon monoxide (CO) and reducing the concentration of CO in the reformate via the shift reaction, and a preferred oxidation (PROX) section (40) for further reducing the concentration of CO to a level acceptable for operating the CSA (56). The FPS (1110) is improved by the WGS section (12, 120) including a reactor (124) with a high activity catalyst for reducing the reformate CO concentration to a relatively low level, thereby relatively reducing the structural volume of the FPS (110). The high activity catalyst is active at temperatures as low as 250° C., and may be a noble-metal-on-ceria catalyst of Pt and Re on a nanocrystaline, cerium oxide-based support.

Abstract: A homogeneous ceria-based mixed-metal oxide, useful as a catalyst support, a co-catalyst and/or a getter has a relatively large surface area per weight, typically exceeding 150 m2/g, a structure of nanocrystallites having diameters of less than 4 nm, and including pores larger than the nanocrystallites and having diameters in the range of 4 to about 9 nm. The ratio of pore volumes, VP, to skeletal structure volumes, VS, is typically less than about 2.5, and the surface area per unit volume of the oxide material is greater than 320 m2/cm3, for low internal mass transfer resistance and large effective surface area for reaction activity. The mixed metal oxide is ceria-based, includes Zr and or Hf, and is made by a novel co-precipitation process. A highly dispersed catalyst metal, typically a noble metal such as Pt, may be loaded on to the mixed metal oxide support from a catalyst metal-containing solution following a selected acid surface treatment of the oxide support.

Abstract: A homogeneous ceria-based mixed-metal oxide, useful as a catalyst support, a co-catalyst and/or a getter, is described. The mixed-metal oxide has a relatively large surface area per weight, typically exceeding 150 m2/g, a structure of nanocrystallites having diameters of less than 4 nm, and including pores larger than the nanocrystallites and having diameters in the range of 4 to about 9 nm. The ratio of the pore volumes, VP, to skeletal structure volumes, VS, is typically less than about 2.5, and the surface area per unit volume of the oxide material is greater than 320 m2/cm3, such that the structural morphology supports both a relatively low internal mass transfer resistance and large effective surface area for reaction activity of interest.

Abstract: An ion exchange method is provided for loading and uniformly distributing noble metals into a catalyst substrate comprising a zeolite to make a monofunctional, non-acidic reforming catalyst. The catalyst substrate is contacted with an aqueous loading solution comprising noble metal cations and non-noble metal cations. The loading solution is formulated such that the equivalents of non-noble metal cations remaining in the catalyst not ionically bonded to the zeolite when loading is complete is 1.2 to 6.0 times the equivalents of non-noble metal cations displaced from the zeolite when the noble metal cations ion exchange into the zeolite, and simultaneously the endpoint pH of the loading solution is between 10.0 and 11.5. The required 1.2 to 6.0 ratio is achieved when the ratio of moles of non-noble metal cations added to the loading solution to moles of noble metal added to the loading solution is between 1 and 10.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst for conversion of methanol, ethanol alone or in combination with n-propanol to isobutanol and the process for making and using the catalyst. The catalyst is a noble metal supported on at least a first phase of mixed oxide crystallites containing from about 60 to about 74 atomic % (on a metals basis only) zirconium, from about 21 to about 31 atomic % manganese and from about 5 to about 9 atomic % zinc, and less than about 1 atomic % alkali, a second phase of zirconium-doped hetaerolite particles containing from about 65 to about 69 atomic % manganese, from about 31 to about 35 atomic % zinc, from about 0.5 to about 5 atomic % zirconium, and optionally a trace atomic % of alkali, and a third phase containing from about 29 to about 55 atomic % manganese, from about 13 to about 55 atomic % zinc and from about 13 to about 35 atomic % zirconium. The first phase mixed oxide crystallites have a zirconium oxide-like structure have a particle size of at least about 40 .ANG.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst for conversion of methanol, ethanol alone or in combination with n-propanol to isobutanol and the process for making and using the catalyst. The catalyst is a noble metal supported on at least a first phase of mixed oxide crystallites containing from about 60 to about 74 atomic % (on a metals basis only) zirconium, from about 21 to about 31 atomic % manganese and from about 5 to about 9 atomic % zinc, and less than about 1 atomic % alkali, a second phase of zirconium-doped hetaerolite particles containing from about 65 to about 69 atomic % manganese, from about 31 to about 35 atomic % zinc, from about 0.5 to about 5 atomic % zirconium, and optionally a trace atomic % of alkali, and a third phase containing from about 29 to about 55 atomic % manganese, from about 13 to about 55 atomic % zinc and from about 13 to about 35 atomic % zirconium. The first phase mixed oxide crystallites have a zirconium oxide-like structure have a particle size of at least about 40 .ANG.

Abstract: A method is provided for preparing organic hydroperoxides by oxidizing aryl alkyl hydrocarbons having a benzylic hydrogen with an oxygen containing gas using as a catalyst an oxo (hydroxo) bridged tetranuclear metal complex having a mixed metal core, one metal of the core being a divalent metal selected from Zn, Cu Fe, Co, Ni, Mn or mixtures thereof and another metal being a trivalent metal selected from In, Fe, Mn, Ga, and Al.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst for conversion of methanol, ethanol alone or in combination with n-propanol to isobutanol and the process for making and using the catalyst. The catalyst is a noble metal supported on at least a first phase of mixed oxide crystallites containing from about 60 to about 74 atomic % (on a metals basis only) zirconium, from about 21 to about 31 atomic % manganese and from about 5 to about 9 atomic % zinc, and less than about 1 atomic % alkali, a second phase of zirconium-doped hetaerolite particles containing from about 65 to about 69 atomic % manganese, from about 31 to about 35 atomic % zinc, from about 0.5 to about 5 atomic % zirconium, and optionally a trace atomic % of alkali, and a third phase containing from about 29 to about 55 atomic % manganese, from about 13 to about 55 atomic % zinc and from about 13 to about 35 atomic % zirconium. The first phase mixed oxide crystallites have a zirconium oxide-like structure have a particle size of at least about 40 .ANG.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for conversion of methanol, ethanol alone or in combination with n-propanol to the corresponding isoalcohols by contacting a catalyst of a noble metal supported on at least a first phase of mixed oxide crystallites containing from about 60 to about 74 atomic % (on a metals basis only) zirconium, from about 21 to about 31 atomic % manganese and from about 5 to about 9 atomic % zinc, and less than about 1 atomic % alkali, a second phase of zirconium-doped hetaerolite particles containing from about 65 to about 69 atomic % manganese, from about 31 to about 35 atomic % zinc, from about 0.5 to about 5 atomic % zirconium, and optionally a trace atomic % of alkali, and a third phase containing from about 29 to about 55 atomic % manganese, from about 13 to about 55 atomic % zinc and from about 13 to about 35 atomic % zirconium, wherein the first phase mixed oxide crystallites have a zirconium oxide-like structure have a particle size of at least about 40 .ANG. to about 100 .ANG.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst for conversion of methanol, ethanol alone or in combination with n-propanol to isobutanol and the process for making and using the catalyst. The catalyst is a noble metal supported on at least a first phase of mixed oxide crystallites containing from about 60 to about 74 atomic % (on a metals basis only) zirconium, from about 21 to about 31 atomic % manganese and from about 5 to about 9 atomic % zinc, and less than about 1 atomic % alkali, a second phase of zirconium-doped hetaerolite particles containing from about 65 to about 69 atomic % manganese, from about 31 to about 35 atomic % zinc, from about 0.5 to about 5 atomic % zirconium, and optionally a trace atomic % of alkali, and a third phase containing from about 29 to about 55 atomic % manganese, from about 13 to about 55 atomic % zinc and from about 13 to about 35 atomic % zirconium. The first phase mixed oxide crystallites have a zirconium oxide-like structure have a particle size of at least about 40 .ANG.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst for conversion of methanol, ethanol alone or in combination with n-propanol to isobutanol. The catalyst is a noble metal supported on at least a first phase having poorly crystalline manganese and zinc doped zirconium oxide phase containing about 71 to about 91 atomic % zirconium, about 10 to about 16 atomic % manganese and about 4 to about 8 atomic % zinc and a second phase of irregularly shaped hetaerolite-like crystals containing about 65 to about 69 atomic % manganese, about 31 to about 35 atomic % zinc and zero to about 5 atomic % zirconium embedded in the first phase. The catalyst is useful in making isobutanol.

Abstract: The invention provides for a method of making isoalcohols using syngas-to-alcohol catalyst and method of making it. The catalyst is a highly dispersed, alkali promoted, La stabilized, microcrystalline Cu.sub.2 O having a particle size of .ltoreq.6 nm in the presence of an alumina structural promoter, wherein on a mole % alkali free metals-only basis Cu is present in from 45 to 55%, Zn from 10 to 20%, Al from 10 to 25%, La from 5 to 15%, and wherein the alkali is from 0.01 to 0.91% K and from 3 to 6.5% Cs. The method of making it involves coprecipitation at a constant pH from a solution of soluble metal salts of copper, zinc, lanthanum and aluminum with an alkali hydroxide, washing the coprecipitate in the essential absence of CO.sub.2, drying and calcining it, then contacting it with K and Cs to form the promoted catalyst. The promoted catalyst is dried and recalcining to produce a catalyst precursor with highly dispersed CuO crystallites. The catalyst is activated in flowing hydrogen.

Abstract: The invention provides for a method of making isoalcohols using syngas-to-alcohol catalyst and method of making it. The catalyst is a highly dispersed, alkali promoted, La stabilized, microcrystalline Cu.sub.2 O having a particle size of .ltoreq.6 nm in the presence of an alumina structural promoter, wherein on a mole % alkali free metals-only basis Cu is present in from 45 to 55%, Zn from 10 to 20%, Al from 10 to 25%, La from 5 to 15%, and wherein the alkali is from 0.01 to 0.91% K and from 3 to 6.5% Cs. The method of making it involves coprecipitation at a constant pH from a solution of soluble metal salts of copper, zinc, lanthanum and aluminum with an alkali hydroxide, washing the coprecipitate in the essential absence of CO.sub.2, drying and calcining it, then contacting it with K and Cs to form the promoted catalyst. The promoted catalyst is dried and recalcining to produce a catalyst precursor with highly dispersed CuO crystallites. The catalyst is activated in flowing hydrogen.