1152.    GAS- UND WASSERFACH.  [Hydrocarbon Synthesis From Water Gas.]  Vol. 77, 1934, p. 798; Fuel Economist, vol. 10, 1935, p. 759.

       Ruhrchemie at Oberhausen-Holten is operating the Fischer process in a plant of 1,000-ton per yr. capacity.  The process works at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of 190°-210° C.  The gases used for the synthesis are water gas or cracked coke oven gas, both of which are carefully purified, particularly from organic S, in order to prevent the rapid deterioration of the catalyst (Ni-Al-Mn precipitated on kieselguhr).  The hydrocarbons formed range from petrol to solid paraffin wax, the respective quantity being about 2/3 of petrol and 1/3 of fuel and heavy oils.  No detailed information is as yet available with regard to the yield obtained on the large-scale plant and the cost of operation.  If the process should prove economical, the Ruhrchemie will erect an installation of some magnitude.  Likewise, the Colliery Victor at Rauxel contemplates erection of a plant with an annual capacity of 25,000 tons of petrol.  The primary object of this plant is to find an outlet for the gas (presumably H₂) not require din the synthetic NH₃ works at Scholven, belonging to the Prussian State Colliery, Rocklinghausen, has the same object in view but intends to employ the hydrogenation process of the I. G. Farbenindustrie, if the experiments with hydrogenation of coal now carried out at Oppau yield satisfactory results.