Towards decarbonization of critical technologies using renewable energy

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A plethora of existing and emerging chemical technologies are based on reactions involving molecules with strong bonds, such as methane, ethane, and CO2. These reactions require catalysts for practical rates, high temperatures, and a significant energy input, which is currently provided by natural gas combustion. For example, in methane steam reforming for large-scale syngas and hydrogen production, approximately half of the emitted CO2 originates from the natural gas combustion to supply the heat to the reactor. This Discovery Grant has the vision to eliminate the need for natural gas combustion for reactor heating by directly supplying the heat to the catalysts, where the reaction occurs, via induction heating using renewable electricity. Induction heating of magnetically susceptible catalysts will result in high temperatures at the reaction site without heating the entire reactor. The use of renewable electricity for this purpose may reduce up to half of the current process-related CO2 emissions. Although induction heating has been successfully practiced in different industries, for catalytic applications, it can only be enabled if the catalyst possesses specific magnetic properties, such as the Curie temperature (the point at which ferromagnetic material becomes the paramagnetic one). The catalysts must have a Curie temperature that is at least as high as the operating temperature. For example, nickel, which is used currently as methane steam reforming active catalyst component, has a Curie temperature of 354 degrees Celsius, while the reaction temperature must be around 700 - 1,000 degrees, so it cannot be used when induction heating is applied instead of conventional heating. However, cobalt and iron (Curie point of 1,115 and 770 degrees Celsius, respectively) can provide the required temperatures when collocated with the active nickel in catalyst formulations. The Curie temperature is influenced by the metal ratio and the catalyst structure. To enable the use of induction heating in catalytic reactor technologies, an entirely new class of temperature-selective ferromagnetic catalysts must be developed. The catalyst development is the short-term objective of the proposed project. Different cobalt-nickel and iron-nickel catalysts will be synthesized and experimentally assessed in oxidative methane reforming with CO2 for syngas and hydrogen production and CO2-assisted ethane dehydrogenation to much-needed ethylene; the induction heating will be used. The project's impact includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a transition to the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels for chemical reactor heating, increased safety of chemical industries, and potential for decentralized hydrogen production. Students and other highly qualified personnel will be trained in chemical reaction engineering, catalysis, induction heating, and the use of renewable energy for emerging technologies.