eStructMR - Engineering Electrochemical Structured Membrane Reactor for Efficient Co-valorisation of Methane and Carbon Dioxide

全球气候变化和净零排放的使命正在加速政策制定者、学术界和工业界对解决能源和环境问题的重视，在这些问题上，小型、分布式源的甲烷和二氧化碳排放是一些主要原因。因此，甲烷和二氧化碳的捕获和共同增值是至关重要的。目前甲烷与二氧化碳共增值的研究主要包括甲烷（超）干重整、等离子体催化、电催化等，而目前的研究大多是多步骤的，如通过合成气转化为高附加值的化学品和燃料，或侧重于催化剂的开发。然而，很少有人关注开发先进的催化反应器以实现根本性的技术突破，而这正是本项目旨在解决的问题。在化学工业过程电气化的背景下，该eStructMR项目建议开发新一代由可再生电力驱动的先进膜反应器，以实现甲烷和二氧化碳在单步过程中同时增值为有价值的化学品和燃料。具体而言，eStructMR旨在(1)开发电化学结构膜反应器，并对其合理设计获得基本认识；(2)通过对反应器进行适当的微尺度设计，调整催化反应微环境，实现甲烷和CO2的高效共价化。eStructMR项目的成功将为甲烷和二氧化碳的共价反应以及许多其他催化反应的反应器设计和催化过程调节提供新的视角。

Global climate change and Net-Zero mission are accelerating the emphasis from policy makers, academia, and industry on addressingenergy and environmental issues where methane and CO2 emissions in small, distributed sources are some main causes. So, methaneand CO2 capture and co-valorisation are of paramount importance. The state-of-the-art research for methane and CO2 co-valorisationmainly includes (super-)dry reforming of methane, plasma catalysis, electrocatalysis and so on, and most of current research suffersfrom multi-step process, e.g., via syngas, to value-added chemicals and fuels or focuses on the catalyst development. However, littleattention is paid in developing advanced catalytic reactors for radically technological breakthrough, which this project aims toaddress. In the context of process electrification in chemical industry, this eStructMR project proposes to develop the new generationof advanced membrane reactor driven by renewable electricity to achieve simultaneous valorisation of methane and CO2 to valueaddedchemicals and fuels in single-step process. Specifically, eStructMR aims to (1) develop the Electrochemical StructuredMembrane Reactor and obtain fundamental understanding on its rational design; (2) achieve high-efficient co-valorisation ofmethane and CO2 by tuning catalytic reaction microenvironment through proper microscale design of proposed reactor. The successof eStructMR project will yield a new perspective to both reactor design and catalytic process regulation not only for the covalorisationof methane and CO2 but also for many other catalytic reactions.