The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) microchannel reactor combined with a new highly active FT catalyst developed by the Oxford Catalysts Group and designed to enable the distributed production of next generation biofuels was named as the winner in the Innovation category of the 2009 Energy Institute (EI) Awards competition at an awards ceremony held in London on 19 November.
The microchannel reactor is the result of many years of research carried out by the Oxford Catalysts subsidiary, Velocys, Inc., at a cost in excess of £100 million. The highly active FT catalyst optimised for use in the reactor was developed by Oxford Catalysts Ltd using the organic matrix combustion process (OMX). This patented new method for catalyst production makes it possible to manufacture catalysts with the optimal crystallite size and surface configuration - and hence higher level of activity and greater stability - for a given application.
The FT microchannel reactor and catalyst combination can operate economically when processing just 500 - 2000 tonnes of waste per day while achieving productivities that are orders of magnitude greater than for conventional FT reactors. In addition, diesel and jet fuels produced using the FT microchannel reactor offer significant environmental benefits over equivalent products sourced from fossil fuels.
Derek Atkinson, Business Development Director at Oxford Catalysts said:
"We are very proud to have won this important award. By demonstrating a way to intensify the biomass to liquid (BTL) process, our innovation represents a whole new way of looking at distributed production of next generation biofuels from a wide variety of waste sources."
