Fueling a cleaner world: Oxford Catalysts
Posted by Science Oxford on November 5, 2009 | comments
This is a slightly different article to show you the applications of scientific research, how the science of today can become the products of tomorrow.
Oxford Catalysts conduct a lot of work in the area of clean fuels. They have developed numerous products and have been and continue to be very successful.
Read on to find out more:
The Science
Oxford Catalysts designs and develops specialty catalysts for the generation of clean fuels, from both conventional fossil fuels and certain renewable sources such as biomass. Our patented technology is the result of almost 20 years of research at the University of Oxford’s prestigious Wolfson Catalysis Centre, headed by Professor Malcolm Green, one of the world’s most respected inorganic chemists. In essence, this patented technology facilitates the preparation and use of carbide-based catalysts, which can match or exceed the benefits of traditional precious metal catalysts for certain reactions (typically those involving hydrocarbons), whilst requiring predominantly only lower cost transition metals, such as cobalt and molybdenum. This technology incorporates a novel method for the preparation, activation and optimisation of the catalysts, the Organic Matrix Combustion Method, which allows better distribution of the active component on the catalyst support material thereby improving performance. Separately the technology from the University included an innovative catalytic process that enables the production of high temperature steam from a liquid fuel such as methanol mixed with water and an oxidising agent, such as hydrogen peroxide, instantaneously and starting from room temperature.
In November 2008, Oxford Catalysts completed the purchase of Velocys, Inc. from the Battelle Memorial Institute. Founded in 2001, Velocys is a leader in the field of microchannel process technology. This leadership began in the mid-1990s at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility operated by Battelle. From the mid-1990s through today, around $150 million has been invested into Velocys’ proprietary microchannel technology platform. Velocys’ chemical processors are characterized by parallel arrays of microchannels, with typical dimensions in the 0.1 to 5 mm range. Processes are intensified by decreasing transfer resistance between process fluids and channel walls. This structure allows use of more active catalysts than conventional systems, greatly increasing the throughput per unit volume. Overall system volumes can be reduced by ten to one hundred-fold compared to conventional hardware.
Combining Oxford Catalysts’ highly active catalysts with Velocys’ microchannel reactor technology has enabled the Company to develop a leading position, initially, in the race to demonstrate the commercial viability of small scale distributed biomass-to-liquid and gas-to-liquid technology.
The Commercial Use
Production of liquid biofuels such as diesel and jet fuel from organic materials including municipal waste is an attractive proposition. However, using conventional large scale plants requires bulky waste to be transported, often over long distances, negating some, if not all, of the environmental benefits. We are developing distributed production capability based on the use of small-scale, high intensity plants located close to the source of the waste. Microchannel reactors, combined with highly reactive Fischer-Tropsch catalysts optimised for use in these reactors are central to the distributed production approach. The plants will convert synthesis gas (syngas – a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen produced by gasifying the biomass waste) into liquid fuels. A wide variety of carbon-containing materials, such as plant biomass-like crop residues and lignocellulose waste from trees, animal-derived waste, and municipal solid waste can be used as feedstocks. The Company is working with, amongst others, SCG Energia, the subsidiary of a Portuguese multinational, SGC.
Similarly, the inability to process natural gas produced in deep-sea oil recovery operations has resulted in flaring of the gas (or simply leaving the oil in the ground). Significant improvements in environmental impact, in addition to enhanced oil recovery can be achieved if the natural gas can be converted on board the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) vessel to synthetic crude oil. High intensity modules for both reforming of methane to syngas and for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are being developed for this application in partnership with MODEC (the world’s second largest supplier of FPSO’s) and Toyo, a major global engineering, procurement and construction company.
The Company
Oxford Catalysts’ business proposition following spin-out from the University of Oxford at the end of 2005 was attractive to institutional investors, resulting in an early IPO in April 2006, which raised a net £14M, followed by a further £4M in 2007. With the Company well capitalised, and with commercial interest in its developing technology increasing, Oxford Catalysts was well placed to acquire Velocys in 2008 in a reverse takeover. Since the acquisition, the combined Company has focussed on commercialising first its Fischer Tropsch technology, and recently announced that its first commercial test reactor (Velocys’ reactor with Oxford Catalysts’ catalyst inside) will be shipped to the well known eco-town, Güssing, Austria in December for demonstration starting in the first quarter of 2010. The Company is putting in place partners across the supply chain to commercialise its technology following successful demonstration.
Visit the Oxford Catalyst website here.
Download an information leaflet on Oxford Catalysts.
What do you think?