Advanced coal liquefaction. Quarterly Final report, July--September 1995

This quarterly report summarizes the comprehensive characterization of the silica-modified membrane system designed for studying the conversion of model compound {number_sign}9, 4-(1-naphthylmethyl)bibenzyl, at 400 {degrees}C. The conversion of compound {number_sign}9 through the tubular and porous surface of the membrane was determined. No reaction was observed for compound {number_sign}9 through the tubular surface at 400 {degrees}C and 200 psi. About 60-70% of compound {number_sign}9 was converted through the porous surface of the silica-modified Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Majority of the conversion (approximately 30-45%) was resulted from the breaking of bond ``d and/or e`` to form 4-(1-naphthylmethyl)ethylbenzene (or 4-(1- naphthylmethyl)methylbenzene). Minor reactions products (10-20%) were obtained via breaking of bonds a and b to form bibenzyl and methyl bibenzyl. The silica-modified Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} membrane surface appears more reactive but less specific than the carbon surface (as a catalyst) reported in the literature. The result obtained from this quarter provided the background about the reactivity of the membrane surface without packed catalysts. In the next quarter, we will concentrate on the incorporation of the catalyst to evaluate the selective removal of the reaction products by the membrane