Towards decarbonization of critical technologies using renewable energy

大量现有和新兴的化学技术都是基于涉及具有强键的分子的反应，例如甲烷，乙烷和CO2。这些反应需要用于实际速率的催化剂、高温和显著的能量输入，这目前由天然气燃烧提供。例如，在用于大规模合成气和氢气生产的甲烷蒸汽重整中，排放的CO2的大约一半来自天然气燃烧以向反应器提供热量。 这项发现补助金的愿景是通过使用可再生电力的感应加热直接向催化剂提供热量，从而消除对天然气燃烧反应器加热的需求。磁敏感催化剂的感应加热将导致反应部位的高温，而不会加热整个反应器。为此目的使用可再生电力可以减少目前与工艺相关的二氧化碳排放量的一半。虽然感应加热已在不同行业中成功实践，但对于催化应用，只有当催化剂具有特定的磁性时才能实现，例如居里温度（铁磁材料成为顺磁材料的点）。催化剂必须具有至少与操作温度一样高的居里温度。例如，目前用作甲烷蒸汽重整活性催化剂组分的镍具有354摄氏度的居里温度，而反应温度必须在700 - 1,000摄氏度左右，因此当应用感应加热代替常规加热时不能使用。然而，钴和铁（居里点分别为1,115和770摄氏度）在与催化剂配方中的活性镍搭配时可以提供所需的温度。居里温度受金属比和催化剂结构的影响。为了在催化反应器技术中使用感应加热，必须开发一种全新的温度选择性铁磁催化剂。催化剂开发是拟议项目的短期目标。将合成不同的钴-镍和铁-镍催化剂，并在用CO2进行甲烷氧化重整以生产合成气和氢气以及CO2辅助乙烷脱氢以生产急需的乙烯中进行实验评估;将使用感应加热。 该项目的影响包括减少温室气体排放，过渡到使用可再生能源而不是化石燃料进行化学反应堆加热，提高化学工业的安全性，以及分散制氢的潜力。学生和其他高素质的人员将接受化学反应工程，催化，感应加热和新兴技术的可再生能源使用方面的培训。

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.