620. ------. [ELWORTHY, H. S., AND WILLIAMSON, E. H.] Manufacture of Gas for Illuminating, Heating, and Power Purposes. British Patent 14,333, June, 25, 1904. Jour. Soc. Chem. Ind., vol. 24, 1905, p. 1006.

Patent Abstracts

Coal gas is purified in the usual way, and hydrocarbons other than CH₄ are removed by scrubbing with paraffin oil. The gas is passed over metallic Ni at a temperature of 250º C. The CO and H₂ are converted into CH₄and H₂O according to the equation of CO+3H₂→CH₄+H₂O. If necessary H₂ may be added to the gas before treatment. If CO₂ is present as well as CO the gas is treated 1^st at 250º C. as above, and then at 350º C. to convert the CO₂ also into CH₄ according to the equation CO₂+4H₂→CH₄+2H₂O. After treatment, the hydrocarbons that were removed by scrubbing may be restored to the gas. Instead of coal gas alone, a mixture of coal gas with water gas, Dowson gas, or the like, with or without the addition of H₂, may be used. Such a mixture may be prepared by passing water gas through a superheater and then through a column of fresh coal. The hot gas effects the destructive distillation of the coal, and the coke may be used for the production of the water gas.