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

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力在于，这项技术代表了在化学品制造领域减少和利用温室气体排放（二氧化碳和甲烷）的商业可行途径。这种新的化学反应器技术将能够利用工业过程中产生的二氧化碳废料、可再生天然气和可再生电力作为原料，生产甲醇等负碳商品化学品。拟议中的反应堆依靠电力而非燃料运行，创造了新的商业模式机会。一个例子是建立和销售小规模的分布式甲醇生产工厂，这些工厂可以利用间歇性可再生电力作为其能源来源。大型工业工厂，如炼油厂，有一个废弃的二氧化碳来源，可以利用拟议的技术来制造和销售甲醇。此外，该反应器使用国内丰富的自然资源甲烷。这项技术可以解决的一个紧迫的环境问题是石油和天然气工业中的天然气燃除。SBIR二期项目拟展示一个放大的光催化干式甲烷重整（P-DMR）反应器系统，该系统消耗二氧化碳和甲烷以生产绿色甲醇。在NSF一期项目中，开发了一个概念验证的实验规模光化学反应器。这种光化学反应堆使用电能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P-DMR的放大光化学反应器，该反应器消耗17公斤/天的二氧化碳和6公斤/天的CH4，将该光化学反应器与水煤气转换反应器和甲醇合成反应器集成，生产5公斤/天的绿色甲醇。在商业化工厂之前，将建立一个1桶/天甲醇生产工厂的稳态过程模型和技术经济模型作为示范。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.