(693d) Supported Cesium-Promoted Molybdenum Sulfide Catalyst and Reaction Kinetics for Higher Alcohol Synthesis

Supported Cesium-promoted Molybdenum Sulfide Catalyst and Reaction Kinetics for Higher Alcohol Synthesis

Hugo S. Caram¹, Ranjan K. Sahoo¹, Richard G. Herman¹, Divyanshu R. Acharya²

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015 USA

²AMCS Corporation, Bedminster, NJ 07921

Cesium-promoted molybdenum catalyst supported on activated carbon has been prepared and tested in a fixed-bed configuration for higher alcohol synthesis from syngas (H₂+CO). Effect of cesium loading, process temperature, pressure and hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio on catalyst activity, selectivity and stability were studied. Alcohols productivity of 280 g/kgcat/hr (Ethanol productivity of 100 g/kgcat/hr) with selectivity of 85% w/w was achieved at 315 C, 1200 psig and H2/CO =1. The catalyst was stable for more than 500 hours without any loss of activity and selectivity for alcohols. A kinetic model of Langmuir-Hinshelwood type rate expressions was developed and fitted with experimental data.  A Singular Value Decomposition method was use to minimize the stoichiometric description. A Genetic Algorithm optimization tool was used to estimate kinetic parameters of these models. Evaluation of these kinetic models has been done using a structural representation of the catalyst behavior with respect to residence time of reactants in the catalyst bed.