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Mr. Clifford D. Jolly, Principal
Investigator,
Mr. Clifford D. Jolly, Business
Official,
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-03ER83866
Amount:
$750,000
Activated-carbon-supported
metal catalysts offer the most energy-efficient, active, and selective
performance available for a large number of industrial oxidation and
hydrogenation processes. Unfortunately,
the carbon supports suffer degradation during operation, that drastically limits
operational life and operating temperatures, and adversely affects catalyst
performance. This project will
develop advanced heterogeneous catalysts for industrial hydrogenation and
oxidation reactions. The catalyst
technology is based on noble and semi-precious metals supported on novel,
surface-modified activated carbons that have been hardened and cross-linked to
produce a highly porous, monolithic structure.
Phase I developed two new catalyst preparation techniques, resulting in
physically stable, activated-carbon-supported metal catalysts.
These materials were tested at bench scale for application to the
terephthalic acid (PTA) purification process.
Catalyst characterization, testing, and applications support were
provided by major industrial partners, each of whom has identified this
technology as having significant potential in a number of processes beyond PTA
production. Phase II will develop
catalyst manufacturing techniques for producing Porous-Solid-Carbon-supported
catalysts for use in both fixed bed and batch reactors.
Process tests will be performed to quantify catalyst performance, and a
pilot-scale test system will be manufactured to support process economics
studies.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee:
The technology should impact three of the four major catalyst market
segments. In particular, the market
for PTA, currently the 11th most abundant chemical produced in the
U.S., could result in $6-8M in catalyst sales yearly.