Development of a Catalyst for Simultaneous Wet- and Dry- Reforming of Methane and Water-Gas Shift Activity

部落学院和大学方案(TCUP)的目标是提高为国家土著学生服务的高等教育机构在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)领域的教育和研究能力。TCUP为实现这些目标的项目提供资金，扩大了原住民在STEM攻读具有挑战性的学位和有价值的职业的机会，对具有文化意义的主题进行研究，并培养对STEM教育的代际欣赏。为了与TCUP的目标保持一致，联合部落技术学院启动了一项侧重于可再生能源生产的研究。该项目将致力于开发一种更有效的方法，将沼气转化为可从有机废物中产生的可再生能源。可再生氢的生产为发电提供了许多选择，并有可能将氢气转化为可再生氨用作燃料或化肥。考虑到北达科他州和北部平原州的大量农场和牧场运营，该项目具有很高的相关性，并对该地区具有潜在的好处。该项目将研究通过蒸汽-甲烷重整(水基)和干法重整(基于二氧化碳)将甲烷重整为氢和二氧化碳。此外，水-气变换活性将被设计到催化剂中。这种“混合”重整带来了几个技术挑战，包括催化剂结焦、甲烷未完全转化为氢和二氧化碳以及催化剂寿命。拟议项目的总体目标是开发催化剂，通过开发坚固耐用、坚固耐用、可靠且对可再生氢生产系统的长期运行具有经济优势的催化剂，优化可再生资源(沼气或垃圾填埋气)的氢气生产。此外，该项目将寻求开发在中等操作压力和温度下显示长期活性的催化剂，从而能够设计出能够负担得起建造和运营的商业/工业系统。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the education and research capacities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at institutions of higher education that serve the nation's Indigenous students. TCUP's funding of projects that address these goals expands opportunities for Native people to pursue challenging degrees and rewarding careers in STEM, to conduct research studies on culturally significant topics, and fosters generational appreciation for STEM education. In alignment with TCUP's goals, United Tribes Technical College has initiated a research study focusing on renewable energy production. The project will work to develop a more efficient method for reforming biogas into a renewable energy source that can be generated from organic waste materials. The production of renewable hydrogen offers many options for power generation, as well as potential conversion of hydrogen to renewable ammonia for use as fuel or fertilizer. Given the large number of farm and ranch operations in North Dakota and the Northern Plains states in general, the project is highly relevant and holds potential benefits for the region.The project will examine reforming of methane to hydrogen and carbon dioxide via a combination of steam-methane reforming (water-based) and dry reforming (carbon dioxide-based). Additionally, water-gas shift activity will be designed into the catalysts. This "mixed" reforming presents several technical challenges which include coking of the catalyst, incomplete conversion of methane to hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and catalyst longevity. The overall goal of the proposed project is to develop catalysts which optimize hydrogen production from a renewable resource (biogas or landfill gas) via development of catalysts which are rugged, robust, reliable, and economically advantageous in long-term operation of a renewable hydrogen production system. Additionally, the project will seek to develop catalysts which display long term activity at moderate operating pressures and temperatures, thereby enabling design of commercial/industrial systems which are affordable to construct and operate.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.