STTR Phase I: Development of Multi-Functional Membrane-Based Reactor for High Alcohol Synthesis

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目将通过使用最佳催化剂的多功能膜反应器开发商业上可行的乙醇工艺。所提出的反应器结合了现有反应器的优点，这些优点来自于原位产物去除，而不受一些相关缺点的阻碍，例如放热反应热的低效去除。在这种单级反应器中，一氧化碳（CO）转化率接近100%，乙醇选择性高，在理论和实践上都是可行的。由于所提出的多功能反应器的应用，过程强化将导致高效率、低资本成本和小的总占地面积，所有这些都是该过程在商业上可行所需的。煤制乙醇的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是一种负担得起的，有效的氢载体，可以分配和存储使用国家？现有的燃料基础设施。此外，与生物乙醇的情况一样（尽管规模较小），煤制乙醇可以在氢基经济完全实现之前作为液体汽车燃料/添加剂提供一种临时解决方案。从国内丰富的煤炭供应中提取的乙醇可以减少对进口能源的依赖，更重要的是，它提供了一种有吸引力的生物乙醇替代品。高效的煤制乙醇生产工艺在短期内为不断增长的市场需求提供了经济驱动的乙醇供应（与补贴的生物乙醇相反），同时在氢基经济全面实施的长期内，从国内可用的煤为分布式氢生产提供高能量密度的原料。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will develop a commercially viable ethanol process via a multi-functional membrane-based reactor using the best available catalyst. The proposed reactor incorporates the advantages of existing reactors which result from the in-situ product removal, without being hampered by some of the associated disadvantages, such as inefficient removal of the exothermic reaction heat. A nearly 100% carbon monoxide (CO) conversion with a high selectivity to ethanol is theoretically and practically feasible in this single stage reactor. Process intensification, as a result of the application of the proposed multi-functional reactor, will result in high efficiencies, low capital costs, and a small overall footprint, all required for the process to be a commercially viable. The broader impact/commercial potential of coal-derived ethanol is an affordable, efficient hydrogen carrier that can be distributed and stored using the nation?s existing fuel infrastructure. In addition, as is also the case with bio-ethanol (albeit at a smaller scale), coal-derived ethanol can provide an interim solution as a liquid automobile fuel/additive before the hydrogen-based economy is fully implemented. Ethanol derived from the abundant domestic supply of coal can reduce dependence on imported energy, and more importantly, offers an attractive alternative to bio-ethanol. An efficient coal-to-ethanol production process offers an economically driven ethanol supply (as opposed to subsidized bio-ethanol) to the growing market demand in the near-term, while providing a high energy density feedstock from domestically available coal for distributed hydrogen production in the long-term when the hydrogen-based economy will be fully implemented.