Catalytic conversion of methane from alternative feedstocks to higher value products

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Efficient carbon management, especially the conversion of carbon dioxide and methane derived from either fossil sources (e.g. coal bed methane, shale gas) or biogas, is one of the Grand Challenges of twenty-first century. This topic of carbon dioxide and methane conversion is especially relevant for Canada, as the nation has 573 trillion cubic feet of recoverable methane from various natural gas reservoirs and significant potential of producing biogas. These gases could be catalytically transformed to synthesis gas via the methane dry reforming reaction. In the exploration phase of this work, we have demonstrated initial results on several potential new catalytic materials (e.g. Potassium promoted Nickel catalyst) for the dry reforming of methane via a NSERC Engage Grant. Based upon the initial evaluation, we put forward the proposed work with three major research themes that integrate material discovery and characterizations, fundamental understanding of catalytic pathways, and reaction engineering to understand the chemistry and then develop catalytic strategies for carbon dioxide and methane conversion. We will integrate synthesis techniques, environmental electron microscopic and spectroscopic tools unique to Canada and available in the newly founded Ontario Centre for Characterization of Advanced Materials (OCCAM) at our faculty, together with chemical kinetic, isotopic, and reaction engineering methods to unravel the surface catalytic events and then develop carbon and sulfur resistance catalysts. The program will establish the basic knowledge required for rigorous catalytic property tuning. A key focus of the program is the professional training of two Ph.D. and one post-doctoral degree candidates. The goal is to develop their technical skills and leadership abilities and to establish them as the emerging leaders of the fields, highly sought after by the Canadian energy and chemical industries.