I-Corps: Scalable conversion of carbon dioxide to value-added commodity chemicals

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创建一个闭环合成碳循环，既解决二氧化碳（CO2）减排问题，又从废弃的CO2原料中产生高价值的碳氢化合物。目前，化石燃料发电厂通常会排放大量的二氧化碳。 这里开发的过程有可能捕获这种废弃的二氧化碳，并将其重新用于生成碳氢化合物燃料和其他高价值碳氢化合物。它为这些发电单位提供了一个机会，可以在基于这些碳氢化合物化学品的商业模式中增加利润率。类似的机会也可以对许多其他行业产生积极的影响。这个I-Corps项目开发了一个可持续的二氧化碳再利用项目。该工艺，逆水煤气变换化学循环（RWGS-CL）已证明能够在高速率和低温下将CO2转化为CO，为大规模实施铺平了道路。RWGS-CL的操作温度允许与费托工艺（FTS）热集成。随着FTS反应器已经在工业规模上使用，这里开发的反应器模块可能会在这些行业中找到合适的用途。该方法涉及使用稳定的催化剂，该催化剂可用于几个循环而不损失活性。该方法被设计成使得不存在CO和H2O或H2的互混，从而限制任何甲烷形成或任何逆向反应。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to create a closed loop synthetic carbon cycle that addresses both carbon dioxide (CO2) mitigation as well as generating high value hydrocarbons from waste CO2 feedstock. Currently, fossil-fuel-fired power plants typically exhibit significant emissions of CO2. The process developed here has the potential to capture this waste CO2 and repurpose it towards generation of hydrocarbon fuels and other high value hydrocarbons. It presents an opportunity for these electricity generation units to add profit margin in their business model based on these hydrocarbon chemicals. Similar opportunities are available to positively impact many other industries, as well.This I-Corps project develops a sustainable repurposing of CO2. The process, reverse water gas shift chemical looping (RWGS-CL) has demonstrated capability of converting CO2 to CO at high rates and at low temperatures, paving the way for implementation at large scale. The temperatures of operation of RWGS-CL allows for thermal integration with Fischer Tropsch process (FTS). With FTS reactors already being used in industrial scale, the reactor module developed here can potentially find an appropriate use in those industries. This process involves the use of stable catalysts that can be used for several cycles without loss of activity. The process is designed such that there is no intermixing of CO and H2O or H2, thereby restricting any methane formation or any backward reaction.