Discovery of a Fischer-Tropsch Hybrid Reaction: Hydrogenation of Methylformate to Long-Chain Hydrocarbons with Anderson-Schulz-Flory Chain Length Distribution

Two-Membrane Dual Non-Aqueous/Aqueous Electrolyte Flow Cell Operation for Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Methyl Formate

Recently, tandem cathodic reactions have been demonstrated in non-aqueous solvents to couple CO2 reduction to a secondary reaction to create novel species that are not produced in aqueous CO2 electrolysis. One reaction that can be performed with high selectivity and durability is the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid and in-situ esterification with methanol to produce methyl formate. However, the translation to a high-performance flow electrolyzer is far from trivial, as the non-aqueous catholyte leads to reactor challenges including flooding the gas diffusion electrode. Here, a two-membrane flow electrolyzer with both anion and cation exchange membranes was used with flowing methanol catholyte and aqueous anolyte. This design prevented methanol from flooding the cathode, which was a pervasive limiting issue for electrolyzers with a single membrane. Methyl formate production at 42.9 % faradaic efficiency was achieved with pure methanol in a flow electrolyzer with stable performance beyond 80 min. However, low-water-content catholyte compositions also led to increased cell resistance and lower operating current densities. Thus, with the present ionomer materials there is a tradeoff between methyl formate selectivity and current density depending on water concentration, highlighting a need for new ionomers tailored for desirable non-aqueous solvents such as methanol.

The pH and Potential Dependence of Pb-Catalyzed Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to Methyl Formate in a Dual Methanol/Water Electrolyte

The conversion of waste CO₂ to value-added chemicals through electrochemical reduction is a promising technology for mitigating climate change while simultaneously providing economic opportunities. The use of non-aqueous solvents like methanol allows for higher CO₂ availability and novel products. In this work, the electrochemistry of CO₂ reduction in acidic methanol catholyte at a Pb working electrode was investigated while using a separate aqueous anolyte to promote a sustainable water oxidation half-reaction. The selectivity among methyl formate (a product unique to reduction of CO₂ in methanol), formic acid, and formate was critically dependent on the catholyte pH, with higher pH conditions leading to formate and low pH favoring methyl formate. The potential dependence of the product distribution in acidic catholyte was also investigated, with a faradaic efficiency for methyl formate as high as 75 % measured at -2.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl.

Oxy-Steam Reforming of Natural Gas on Ni Catalysts—A Minireview

Nowadays, the reforming of natural gas is the most common of hydrogen or syngas generation process. Each reforming process leads to the achievement of specific goals and benefits related to investment costs. The disadvantage of the reforming process is the need to preclean it mostly from the sulfur and nitrogen compounds. The solution to this problem may be liquefied natural gas (LNG). Liquefied natural gas has recently been seen as an energy source and may be a promising replacement for natural gas. The constant development of the pipeline network, safe transport and a lot of advantages of LNG were contributed to the research development related to the usage of LNG in energy generation technologies. The presented review is a literature discussion on the processing of methane used to produce hydrogen with particular emphasis on the processes of oxy-steam reforming of natural or liquefied natural gas (OSR-LNG). In addition, a key consideration in this article includes Ni catalyst systems used in the oxy-steam reforming of methane or LNG reactions. An analysis of the OSR process conditions, the type of catalyst and the OSR of the methane reaction mechanism may contribute to the development of a modern, cheap catalyst system, which is characterized by high activity and stability in the oxy-steam reforming of natural gas or LNG (OSR-LNG).

Effects of alkali metal promoters on the structure–performance relationship of CoMn catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Alkali metal promoters are beneficial for the formation and facet-stabilization of Co₂C nanoprisms for the FTO reaction.