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Hydromethanation of a carbonaceous feedstock with nickel recovery

  • US 8,648,121 B2
  • Filed: 02/22/2012
  • Issued: 02/11/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A process for generating a methane-enriched raw product gas stream and a nickel product stream from a non-gaseous nickel-containing carbonaceous material, the process comprising the steps of:

  • (a) preparing a catalyzed carbonaceous feedstock from the nickel-containing carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst, wherein the alkali metal hydromethanation catalyst comprises a recycle catalyst and a makeup catalyst;

    (b) introducing the catalyzed carbonaceous feedstock into a hydromethanation reactor;

    (c) reacting the catalyzed carbonaceous feedstock in the hydromethanation reactor in the presence of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and steam to produce a methane-enriched raw product gas and a solid by-product char;

    (d) withdrawing a stream of the methane-enriched raw product gas from the hydromethanation reactor as the methane-enriched raw product gas stream, wherein the methane-enriched raw product gas stream comprises methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, steam and heat energy;

    (e) withdrawing a stream of the solid by-product char from the hydromethanation reactor, wherein the withdrawn solid by-product char comprises carbon and an inorganic ash containing an alkali metal content and a nickel content;

    (f) treating the withdrawn solid by-product char to generate (1) an alkali metal-depleted char stream comprising a substantial portion of the nickel content, and (2) an aqueous alkali metal-enriched stream comprising one or more water-soluble alkali metal compounds, wherein the aqueous alkali metal-enriched stream comprises at least a predominant portion of the alkali metal content of the withdrawn solid by-product char;

    (g) recycling at least a portion of the aqueous alkali-metal enriched stream for use as the recycle catalyst;

    (h) treating the alkali metal-depleted char stream to generate a nickel-enriched stream and a nickel-depleted char stream, wherein the nickel-enriched stream comprises at least a predominant portion of the nickel content;

    (i) recovering at least a predominant portion of the nickel from the nickel-enriched stream in step (h) as the nickel product stream.

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