Method for the catalytic conversion of organic materials into a product gas

A method for converting organic material comprising multi-carbon compounds into a product gas, the method comprising the following steps:

• providing within a pressure reactor a liquid reactant mixture containing liquid water and liquid organic material comprising organic compounds having carbon-carbon bonds;
• providing a metal catalyst the metal catalyst comprising a first catalyst, the first catalyst comprising a reduced metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, iridium, rhodium and mixtures thereof;
• and
• maintaining the liquid reactant mixture and metal catalyst in the pressure reactor at temperature and pressure conditions of from about 300.degree. C. to about 450.degree. C. and at least 130 atmospheres for a period of time, the temperature and pressure conditions being effective to maintain the reactant mixture substantially as liquid for the period of time, the period of time as liquid being sufficient to allow the metal catalyst to catalyze a reaction of the liquid organic material to break the carbon-carbon bonds and produce a product gas composed primarily of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

A method for converting oxygenated hydrocarbon material into a product gas comprising:

• providing a liquid reactant mixture containing liquid water and liquid oxygenated hydrocarbon material within a pressure reactor;
• providing a metal catalyst within the pressure reactor, the metal catalyst comprising reduced ruthenium supported on a catalyst carrier, the reduced ruthenium comprising 5% by weight of the combined reduced ruthenium and said carrier;
• the liquid reactant mixture and the combined reduced ruthenium catalyst with carrier being fed to the pressure reactor at a liquid hourly space velocity ratio of from about 1.9 to about 3.9 liters of reactant per liters of combined reduced ruthenium catalyst with carrier per hour;
• and
• maintaining the liquid reactant mixture and metal catalyst in the pressure reactor at temperature and pressure conditions of from about 300.degree. C. to about 450.degree. C. and at least 130 atmospheres for a period of time, the temperature and pressure conditions being effective to maintain the reactant mixture substantially as liquid, the period of time being sufficient to allow the metal catalyst to catalyze a reaction of the liquid oxygenated hydrocarbon material to produce a product gas composed primarily of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

A method for converting oxygenated hydrocarbon material comprising multi-carbon compounds into a product gas, the method comprising the following steps:

• providing within a pressure reactor a liquid reactant mixture containing liquid water and liquid oxygenated hydrocarbon material comprising organic compounds having carbon-carbon bonds;
• providing a metal catalyst within the pressure reactor, the metal catalyst comprising reduced ruthenium supported on a catalyst carrier, the reduced ruthenium comprising 5% by weight of the combined reduced ruthenium and said carrier;
• the liquid reactant mixture and the combined reduced ruthenium catalyst with carrier being fed to the pressure reactor at a liquid hourly space velocity ratio of from about 1.9 to about 3.9 liters of reactant per liters of combined reduced ruthenium catalyst with carrier per hour;
• and
• maintaining the liquid reactant mixture and metal catalyst in the pressure reactor at temperature and pressure conditions of from about 300.degree. C. to about 450.degree. C. and at least 130 atmospheres for a period of time, the temperature and pressure conditions being effective to maintain the reactant mixture substantially as liquid, the period of time being sufficient to allow the metal catalyst to catalyze a reaction of the liquid oxygenated hydrocarbon material to break the carbon-carbon bonds and produce a product gas composed primarily of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

A method for converting organic material into a product gas, wherein the organic material comprises organic compounds selected from the group consisting of aliphatic compounds, aromatic compounds, oxygenated hydrocarbon compounds, nitrogenated hydrocarbon compounds and chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds, the method comprising:

• providing a liquid reactant mixture containing liquid water and liquid hydrocarbon material within a pressure reactor;
• providing a metal catalyst within the pressure reactor, the metal catalyst comprising reduced ruthenium supported on a catalyst carrier, the reduced ruthenium comprising 5% by weight of the combined reduced ruthenium and said carrier;
• the liquid reactant mixture and the combined reduced ruthenium catalyst with carrier being fed to the pressure reactor at a liquid hourly space velocity ratio of from about 1.9 to about 3.9 liters of reactant per liters of combined reduced ruthenium catalyst with carrier per hour;
• and
• maintaining the liquid reactant mixture and metal catalyst in the pressure reactor at temperature and pressure conditions of from about 300.degree. C. to about 450.degree. C. and at least 130 atmospheres for a period of time, the temperature and pressure conditions being effective to maintain the reactant mixture substantially as liquid, the period of time being sufficient to allow the metal catalyst to catalyze a reaction of the liquid hydrocarbon material to produce a product gas composed primarily of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.