Catalytic Activation of Carbon Monoxide on Metal Surfaces

Interest in carbon monoxide has increased dramatically during the past decade. This is due primarily to a new interest in energy resources other than natural gas and petroleum resources which include coal, oil shale, and heavy residua. In any process which involves gasification to convert these hydrogen-deficient materials to hydrocarbons or other organic compounds, CO is one of the principal products of the gasification step, and its subsequent hydrogenation to form the required final products is of extreme importance. It is thermodynamically possible to produce methane as SNG, hydrocarbon liquids as fuels, and alcohols and olefins as chemical intermediates — the major problem is the selectiveproduction of the desired product. During the overall conversion process, the reaction between CO and water is important, viathe water gas shift reaction, not only because it is used to adjust the H₂/CO ratio in the gas stream between the gasifier and the reactor, but also because H₂O is a by-product of the CO hydrogenation reaction and can react with unconsumed CO in the syngas reactor to form CO₂.