Process and system for removing impurities from a gas stream
AssigneeLanzaTech, Inc.
InventorsRichard Russell Rosin, Yen-Lu Yu, Sean Alex Rollag, Taylor Craig Schulz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process and system for producing a fermentable gas stream from a gas source that contains one or more impurity which may be harmful to the fermentation process is provided. To produce the fermentable gas stream, the gas stream is passed through a specifically ordered series of removal beds. The removal beds remove and/or convert various impurities found in the gas stream which may have harmful effects on downstream removal beds and/or inhibitory effects on downstream gas fermenting microorganisms. At least a portion of the fermentable gas stream may be capable of being passed to a bioreactor, which contains gas fermenting microorganisms.
Claims18
A process for removing impurities from an input gas stream to produce a fermentable gas stream comprising less than about 100 ppm oxygen, less than about 1 ppm acetylene, and less than about 1 ppm hydrogen cyanide, the process comprising:
- a. heating the input gas stream to a temperature that is effective for a deoxygenation catalyst and below a reduction temperature of a sulfur guard bed material to generate a heated input gas stream;
- b. contacting the heated input gas stream with:
- a hydrolysis catalyst bed to remove hydrogen cyanide to less than 1 ppm hydrogen cyanide and/or carbonyl sulfide to less than 1 ppm carbonyl sulfide;
- one or more optional sulfur guard beds containing material effective to remove and/or react sulfur-containing compounds located concurrent with or downstream of the hydrolysis bed;
- and a deoxygenation catalyst bed located downstream of the one or more optional sulfur guard beds;
- and
- wherein the hydrolysis bed, the one or more optional sulfur guard beds, and the deoxygenation catalyst bed are contained within a single vessel, or wherein the hydrolysis bed and a first optional sulfur guard bed are contained within a first vessel, and a second optional guard bed and the deoxygenation catalyst bed are contained within a second vessel.
An apparatus comprising:
- a heating device having a heating device gas inlet and a heating device gas outlet;
- a single vessel having a single vessel gas inlet in fluid communication with the heating device gas outlet and a single vessel fermentable gas outlet wherein the single vessel contains at least three beds comprising:
- a hydrolysis catalyst bed comprising alumina;
- a sulfur guard bed comprising zinc oxide or copper and zinc oxide on an alumina support located concurrent with or downstream of the hydrolysis bed;
- a deoxygenation catalyst bed located downstream of the sulfur guard bed, wherein the deoxygenation catalyst comprises copper supported on alumina, silica, titania, ceria, lanthana, carbon, silica-alumina, or zeolites;
- or
- a first vessel having a first vessel gas inlet in fluid communication with the heating device gas outlet and a first vessel gas outlet wherein the first vessel contains at least two beds comprising:
- a hydrolysis catalyst bed comprising alumina;
- a first sulfur guard bed comprising zinc oxide or copper and zinc oxide on an alumina support located concurrent with or downstream of the hydrolysis bed;
- and
- a second vessel having a second vessel gas inlet in fluid communication with the first vessel gas outlet and a second vessel fermentable gas outlet wherein the second vessel contains at least two beds comprising:
- a second sulfur guard bed comprising zinc oxide or copper and zinc oxide on an alumina support;
- a deoxygenation catalyst bed located downstream of the second sulfur guard bed, wherein the deoxygenation catalyst comprises copper supported on alumina, silica, titania, ceria, lanthana, carbon, silica-alumina, or zeolites;
- and
- a bioreactor having a bioreactor gas inlet in fluid communication with the single vessel fermentable gas outlet or the second vessel fermentable gas outlet and the bioreactor having a bioreactor fermentation broth output wherein the bioreactor comprises at least one C1-fixing microorganism.
A process of revamping a gas treatment system comprising:
- a. co-locating
- i. a hydrolysis catalyst bed to remove hydrogen cyanide to less than 1 ppm hydrogen cyanide and/or carbonyl sulfide to less than 1 ppm carbonyl sulfide;
- ii. an optional sulfur guard bed containing material effective to remove and/or react sulfur-containing compounds located concurrent with or downstream of the hydrolysis bed;
- and
- iii. a deoxygenation catalyst bed located downstream of the sulfur guard bed;
- in a single repurposed vessel;
- or
- b. co-locating,
- i. a hydrolysis catalyst bed to remove hydrogen cyanide to less than 1 ppm hydrogen cyanide and/or carbonyl sulfide to less than 1 ppm carbonyl sulfide;
- and
- ii. a first sulfur guard bed containing material effective to remove and/or react sulfur-containing compounds located concurrent with or downstream of the hydrolysis bed;
- in a first repurposed vessel, and
- c. co-locating
- i. a second sulfur guard bed containing material effective to remove and/or react sulfur-containing compounds;
- and
- ii. a deoxygenation catalyst bed located downstream of the second sulfur guard bed;
- in a second repurposed vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.