US 12,168,606 B2
Use of molten salt to separate carbon from a molten metal catalyst
Earl Lawrence Vincent Goetheer, The Hague (NL); Rajat Bhardwaj, The Hague (NL); Cornelis Petrus Marcus Roelands, The Hague (NL); and Marco Johannes Gerardus Linders, The Hague (NL)
Assigned to Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO, The Hague (NL)
Appl. No. 17/428,301
Filed by Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO, The Hague (NL)
PCT Filed Feb. 5, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/052879
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 4, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/161192, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 13, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 19155600 (EP), filed on Feb. 5, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0119259 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. C01B 32/05 (2017.01); B01D 53/047 (2006.01); B01D 71/02 (2006.01); B01J 8/18 (2006.01); B01J 8/22 (2006.01); B01J 19/18 (2006.01); B01J 23/08 (2006.01); B01J 35/27 (2024.01); C01B 3/26 (2006.01); C01B 3/56 (2006.01)
CPC C01B 32/05 (2017.08) [B01D 53/047 (2013.01); B01D 71/02 (2013.01); B01D 71/0223 (2022.08); B01J 8/1845 (2013.01); B01J 8/22 (2013.01); B01J 19/1881 (2013.01); B01J 23/08 (2013.01); B01J 35/27 (2024.01); C01B 3/26 (2013.01); C01B 3/56 (2013.01); B01D 2257/108 (2013.01); B01D 2257/702 (2013.01); B01J 2208/00389 (2013.01); C01B 2203/0277 (2013.01); C01B 2203/048 (2013.01); C01B 2203/0811 (2013.01); C01B 2203/0822 (2013.01); C01B 2203/085 (2013.01); C01B 2203/1241 (2013.01); C01B 2203/148 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Method for producing solid carbon and hydrogen gas by molten metal pyrolysis of hydrocarbons, the method comprising:
(i) feeding a stream of hydrocarbon into a pyrolysis reactor through a catalytic layer of molten metal to pyrolise the hydrocarbon into solid carbon and hydrogen gas;
(ii) feeding a stream of molten salt into the pyrolysis reactor to separate the solid carbon from the molten metal
(iii) collecting a product gas containing hydrogen gas that evolves from the reactor;
(iv) collecting a mixture comprising solid carbon and molten salt;
(v) separating the mixture obtained in step (iv) into a product comprising solid carbon and separated salt
wherein the separation step (v) involves separating solid carbon from the separated salt by filtering and/or washing the mixture with an aqueous liquid to obtain a product comprising pure solid carbon and a separated salt, and wherein the separated salt is recycled into the reactor as part of step (ii).