2873.     ---------------.  [ROELEN, O.]  [Synthesis of Methane in Connection With the Production and Utilization of City Gas.]  Erdöl u. Kohle, vol. 3, No. 1, 1950, p. 10.

        Paper presented at the 1949 meeting of Diedeutsche Gesellschaft für Mineraloelwissenschaft and Kohlechemie.  The necessity of producing more city gas without increasing the amount of coke has led to attempts to bring the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis into city gas production.  The synthesis can be so conducted that it produces directly a residual gas of city-gas quality, or the necessary heating value of the synthesis residual gas can be obtained by a special methanization.  New Fe and Ni catalysts have been developed for the various possible ways of operating.  CH₄ synthesis can now be conducted by choice from CO and H₂ with exclusive formation of H₂ or CO₂, from CO and steam with simultaneous conversion, or by any combination whatever of these 3 reactions.  A new Ni-Mg catalyst methanizes the CO and CO₂ in coke oven gas quantitatively below 200° and at gas throughputs 10 times greater than the former technical Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.  By means of a NiS catalyst it is now possible to desulfurize coke-oven gas to a synthesis gas purity.  With these 2 new Ni catalysts methanization of city gas could be successfully realized at the storage tank in small automatic plants.  By such means, the heating value is raised from about 4,400 to 6,000 kg.-cal. per m.³  The gas is detoxicated at the same time and freed from all corroding constituents except hydrocyanic acid.  The original tank plants for methanizing in Altenessen, 1942, have already been followed by others.

        ----------.  See abs. 341, 402, 1042, 1214, 1334, 1335, 3729.