Process for the production of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A diesel product produced by a Fischer Tropsch synthesis reaction utilizing a promoted iron-based catalyst in a slurry reaction comprising the steps of: converting carbonaceous material in the presence of carbon dioxide and water into hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the ratio of from about 0.5 to about 2.5 parts of hydrogen to one part of carbon monoxide by volume; removing carbon dioxide from the hydrogen and carbon monoxide produced by the step of converting; reacting the hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the said ratios in a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction vessel in the presence of a hydrocarbon slurry containing a catalyst consisting essentially of a promoted iron catalyst at a sufficient temperature, pressure and space velocity to promote the formation of predominately hydrocarbons having more than five carbon atoms, said hydrocarbon slurry containing from between about 5% by weight to about 20% by weight of said promoted iron catalyst; separately recovering gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon products produced by said Fischer-Tropsch reaction; recycling at least a portion the carbon dioxide in the recovered gaseous products back to the first converting step; and separating the diesel product from the liquid hydrocarbon products whereby the diesel product contains hydrocarbons having carbon contents between C 5 -C 20 , in the form of a mixture of saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon products, said diesel product burning much cleaner than commercially available diesel derived from crude oil, said diesel product having a high cetane number which is higher than the minimum cetane index of 45 of ASTM 976-80 and said diesel product having a low aromatic content which is less than about 1%.