ScienceDirect - Chemical Engineering Journal : CO2 reforming of CH4 in coke oven gas to syngas over coal char catalyst
This fairly recent report, of developments in China, confirms a couple of facts we've already documented for you, from earlier research and development conducted in the United States and elsewhere in the West.
First, Methane can be obtained in abundance from Coal through processes of gasification, such as occur in Coke ovens.
Second, Carbon Dioxide can be reacted, recycled, with Methane to synthesize higher hydrocarbons of commercial value.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"CO2 reforming of CH4 in coke oven gas to syngas over coal char catalyst
Guojie Zhang, et. al.
Key Laboratory of Coal Science, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, China
April 2009
Abstract: The CO2 reforming of methane (in coke oven gas) on coal char catalyst was performed in a fixed bed reactor at temperatures between 800 and 1200 C under normal pressure. The effects of the coal char catalyst pretreatment and the ratio of CO2/CH4 were studied. Experimental results showed that the coal char was an effective catalyst for production of syngas, and addition of CO2 did not enhance CH4 reforming to H2. It was also found that the product gas ratio of H2/CO is strongly influenced by the feed ratio of CO2/CH4. The modified coal char catalyst was more active during CO2-CH4 reforming than the coal char catalyst based on the catalyst volume, furthermore the modified catalyst exhibited high activity in CO2-CH4 reforming to syngas. The conversion of methane can be divided into two stages. In the first stage, the conversion of CH4 gradually decreased. In the second stage, the conversion of methane maintained nearly constant. The conversion of CO2 decreased slightly during overall reactions in CO2-CH4 reforming. The coal char catalyst is a highly promising catalyst for the CO2 reforming of methane to syngas."
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Of course, once we have the syngas, as all should by now know, we can pass it over Fischer-Tropsch, or related, catalysts and synthesize hydrocarbons suitable for refining into liquid fuels.
Note that simple Coal char, in this report, can serve as the catalyst for the reaction. Exotic, and expensive, materials aren't required.
We believe, with our limited capacities, this to be an example of "bi-reforming" technology, about which we've earlier reported; and is, perhaps, not as advanced as the "tri-reforming" of Carbon Dioxide and Methane, to synthesize higher hydrocarbons, as reported most thoroughly by Penn State University.
Or, it might be an advancement. We don't really know, and that's our point:
Multiple technologies exist which would enable us to recycle Carbon Dioxide, into higher and more valuable hydrocarbons, by reacting it with Methane, which can itself be synthesized, via Sabatier-type processes, from Carbon Dioxide.