Compact heat exchange reactor for synthesis of mixed alcohols

•Up to 4× process intensification obtained with compact heat exchange reactor.•NiMo2C is a promising mixed alcohol synthesis catalyst.•Compact reactor is a good choice for small, portable syngas conversion plants.

Stainless steel compact heat exchanger reactor with 66 mL catalyst loading was built and tested for synthesis of mixed alcohols. Compared to the fixed bed reactor, the compact heat exchanger reactor have much better heat and mass transfer due to the small particle sizes and miniaturized channels. Development of NiMo2C catalyst for synthesis of mixed alcohols is also reported. The compact reactor demonstrated two to four times process intensification.

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