Novel bimetallic dispersed catalysts for temperature-programmed coal liquefaction. Technical progress report, October--December 1992

Abstract

Development of new catalysts is a promising approach to more efficient coal liquefaction. It has been recognized that catalysts are superior to supported catalysts for primary liquefaction of coals, because the control of initial coal dissolution or depolymerization requires intimate contact between the catalyst and coal. This research is a fundamental and exploratory study on catalytic coal liquefaction, with the emphasis on the development of novel bimetallic dispersed catalysts for temperature-programmed liquefaction. The ultimate goal of the present research is to develop novel catalytic hydroliquefaction process using highly active dispersed catalysts. The primary objective of this research is to develop novel bimetallic dispersed catalysts from organometallic molecular that can be used in low precursors concentrations (< 1 %) but exhibit high activity for efficient hydroliquefaction of coals under temperature-programmed conditions. The major technical approaches are, first, to prepare the desired heteronuclear organometallic molecules as catalyst precursors that contain covalently bound, two different metal atoms and sulfur in a single molecule. Such precursors will generate finely dispersed bimetallic catalysts such as Fe-Mo, Co-Mo and Ni-Mo binary sulfides upon thermal decomposition. The second major technical approach is to perform the liquefaction of coals unpregnated with the organometallic precursors under temperature-programmed conditions, where the programmed heat-up serves as a step for both catalyst activation and coal pretreatment or preconversion. Two to three different complexes for each of the Fe-Mo, Co-Mo, and Ni-Mo combinations will be prepared. Initial catalyst screening tests will be conducted using a subbituminous coal and a bituminous coal. Effects of coal rank and solvents will be examined with the selected bimetallic catalysts which showed much higher activity than the dispersed catalysts from conventional precursors.