2556.     ---------------.  [PADOVANI, C., AND FRANCHETTI, P.]  [Methane Synthesis From a Mixture of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen.]  Acqua e Gas, vol. 24, 1935, pp. 57-61; Chem. Zentralb., 1936, I, p. 478.

        Synthesis of CH₄ under about 10-12 atm. pressure from a synthetic mixture of CO and H₂ (obtained by the gasification of brown coal with O₂ at low temperatures) can be attained up to about 90% at 330° over a Ni catalyst deposited on kieselguhr and activated with Al and Mn at a space velocity of 1,040 and almost complete at lower space velocity.  By using illuminating gas to which H₂ had been added, poisoning of catalyst gradually took place, but after regeneration, it resumed operation so that finally 27% of the CO was converted into CH₄.  A partial substitution of the Ni by a natural siderite gave good results with the illuminating gas+H₂.  With illuminating gas alone, however, destruction took place through separation of C.  A Ni catalyst on active C with illuminating gas+H₂ gave good results, but without H₂ it failed rapidly.  High pressures (85-104 atm.) caused the catalyst to fall quickly and promoted the deposition of C.