Patent ID: 8163048

Claim:
An integrated process for the steady-state gasification of an optimized reactor feed catalyst-loaded coal composition, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a ground raw coal solid stream into a diffuse catalyst loading contactor, wherein the coal comprises a matrix containing ion exchange sites comprising acidic functional groups; (b) introducing an influent stream comprising a salt of a Group I alkali metal catalyst into the diffuse catalyst loading contactor to create a slurry, wherein the influent stream is comprised of a raffinate stream, a recycle stream and a makeup stream; (c) controlling the amount of catalyst in the influent stream such that the amount of Group I alkali metal catalyst in the influent stream is equal to or greater than the amount to achieve saturation ion-exchange loading of the coal; (d) holding the slurry at a contact temperature and for a contact time so as to provide ample opportunity to achieve substantial and uniform catalyst loading such that the Group I alkali metal catalyst is highly dispersed throughout the coal matrix; (e) dewatering the slurry by filtration to form a catalyst-loaded wet coal cake and the raffinate solution; (f) recycling the raffinate solution into the influent stream; (g) thermally-treating the catalyst-loaded wet coal cake under a flow of inert dry gas to reduce the moisture content to less than about 6 wt %, such that greater than about 50% of the total amount of the catalyst loaded is Group I alkali metal catalyst associated with the coal matrix; (h) gasifying the catalyst-loaded thermally-treated coal composition in a fluidized bed reactor in the presence of steam, CO and H 2 at a temperature ranging from about 450° C. to about 750° C. and a pressure ranging from about 50 psig and about 1000 psig, to produce a char and a raw gas stream comprising methane; (i) withdrawing the raw gas stream from the fluidized bed reactor; (j) withdrawing the char from the fluidized bed reactor; (k) extracting catalyst from the char; and (l) recycling extracted catalyst into the influent stream as the recycle stream.