Patent ID: 8921431

Claim:
A method for producing alcohols from syngas, comprising the steps of: a) providing a catalyst in a mixed alcohol synthesis reactor, wherein the catalyst is retained in the reactor during operation of the reactor; b) providing syngas to the reactor, the reactor operating in a temperature range of 240-400 degrees C. and at pressures of 500-2500 psi, and contacting the syngas with the catalyst in the presence of liquid non-reacting components, wherein reaction products are formed, the reaction products comprising mixed alcohols; c) removing at least a portion of the reaction products from the reactor, while retaining the catalyst in the reactor; d) removing liquid non-reactive components from the mixed alcohols of the reaction products; e) maintaining the temperature in the reactor in the temperature range by reintroducing at least part of the liquid non-reactive components into the reactor and interacting the syngas with the reintroduced liquid non-reactive components and with the catalyst in a trickle bed mode so as to produce further reaction products that comprise mixed alcohols, wherein the liquid non-reactive components are solvents selected from the group consisting of decane, cetane, decahydronapthalene and C11-C20 hydrocarbons.