SBIR Phase II: Light-Driven Conversion of CO2 and Methane to Syngas and Methanol

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，这项技术代表了一条在商业上可行的途径，以减少和利用化学品制造部门的温室气体排放(二氧化碳和甲烷)。这项新的化学反应器技术将使工业过程中产生的废旧二氧化碳、可再生天然气和可再生电力成为原料，生产一种碳负的商品化学品，如甲醇。拟议中的反应堆使用电力，而不是燃料，创造了新的商业模式机会。一个例子是建造和销售小规模、分布式的甲醇生产工厂，这些工厂可以利用间歇性的可再生电力作为能源。有二氧化碳废物来源的大型工业工厂，如炼油厂，可以利用拟议的技术来制造和销售甲醇。此外，该反应堆使用的甲烷是国内丰富的自然资源。这项技术可以解决的一个紧迫环境问题是石油和天然气行业的天然气燃烧。这个SBIR第二阶段项目建议展示一个大规模的光催化干法甲烷重整(P-DMR)反应器系统，该系统消耗二氧化碳和甲烷来生产绿色甲醇。在国家科学基金会第一阶段项目中，开发了一个概念验证实验室规模的光化学反应器。这个光化学反应堆使用的是电力，而不是燃料，作为能量输入来运行。P-DMR光催化剂由高效LED供电。二期项目将展示一种用于P-DMR的放大光化学反应器，每天消耗17公斤二氧化碳和6公斤甲烷，并将该光反应器与水煤气变换反应器和甲醇合成反应器集成，以生产5公斤/天的绿色甲醇。一个1桶/天的甲醇生产装置的稳态过程模型和技术经济模型将在商业化工厂之前被建立作为示范。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 broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is that this technology represents a commercially feasible pathway to reduce and utilize greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and methane) in the sector of chemicals manufacturing. This new chemical reactor technology will enable utilization of waste CO2 from industrial processes, renewable natural gas, and renewable electricity as feedstocks to produce a carbon-negative commodity chemical such as methanol. The proposed reactor runs on electricity, not fuel, creating novel business model opportunities. One example is building and selling small-scale, distributed methanol production plants that can utilize intermittent renewable electricity sources for their energy source. Large industrial plants, such as refineries, that have a source of waste CO2 can utilize the proposed technology to make and sell methanol. Moreover, this reactor uses methane, which is a plentiful domestic natural resource. One pressing environmental problem that this technology could address is natural gas flaring in the oil and gas industry. This SBIR Phase II project proposes to demonstrate a scaled up photocatalytic dry methane-reforming (P-DMR) reactor system that consumes carbon dioxide and methane to produce green methanol. In the NSF Phase I project, a proof-of-concept bench-scale photo-chemical reactor was developed. This photo-chemical reactor uses electricity, not fuel, as energy input to operate. The P-DMR photocatalyst is energized with high-efficiency LEDs. The Phase II project will demonstrate a scaled-up photo-chemical reactor for P-DMR that consumes 17 kg/day of CO2 and 6 kg/day of CH4, integrate this photo-reactor to a water gas shift reactor and a methanol synthesis reactor to produce 5 kg/day of green methanol. A steady-state process model and a techno-economic model for a 1 barrel/day methanol production plant will be built as a demonstration prior to a commercialization plant.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.