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Harkou E, Hafeez S, Adamou P, Zhang Z, Tsiotsias AI, Charisiou ND, Goula MA, Al-Salem SM, Manos G, Constantinou A. Different reactor configurations for enhancement of CO 2 methanation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 236:116760. [PMID: 37507039 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Greenhouse gas emissions are a massive concern for scientists to minimize the effect of global warming in the environment. In this study, packed bed, coated wall, and membrane reactors were investigated using three novel nickel catalysts for the methanation of CO2. CFD modelling methodologies were implemented to develop 2D models. The validity of the model was investigated in a previous study where experimental and simulated results in a packed bed reactor were in a good agreement. It was observed that the coated wall reactor had poorer performance compared to the packed bed, approximately 30% difference between the results, as the residence time of the former was lower. In addition, two membrane configurations were proposed, including a membrane packed bed and membrane coated wall reactor. Additional studies were performed in the coated wall reactor revealing that lower flow rates lead to higher conversion values. As for the bed thickness the optimum layer was found to be 1 mm. In both membrane reactor configurations, the effect of the thickness of M1 membrane, which indicates the membrane for the removal of H2O, didn't show difference while the reduction of the thickness of M2 membrane, which indicates the membrane for the removal of CO2, H2 and H2O, showed better results in terms of conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleana Harkou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, Limassol, 3036, Cyprus
| | - Sanaa Hafeez
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E14NS, UK
| | - Panayiota Adamou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, Limassol, 3036, Cyprus
| | - Zhien Zhang
- WilliamG. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineerig, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Anastasios I Tsiotsias
- Laboratory of Alternative Fuels and Environmental Catalysis (LAFEC), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, GR-50100, Greece
| | - Nikolaos D Charisiou
- Laboratory of Alternative Fuels and Environmental Catalysis (LAFEC), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, GR-50100, Greece
| | - Maria A Goula
- Laboratory of Alternative Fuels and Environmental Catalysis (LAFEC), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, GR-50100, Greece
| | - S M Al-Salem
- Environmental & Life Sciences Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait
| | - George Manos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, WCIE7JE, UK
| | - Achilleas Constantinou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, Limassol, 3036, Cyprus.
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Harkou E, Adamou P, Georgiou K, Hafeez S, Al-Salem SM, Villa A, Manos G, Dimitratos N, Constantinou A. Computational Studies on Microreactors for the Decomposition of Formic Acid for Hydrogen Production Using Heterogeneous Catalysts. Molecules 2023; 28:5399. [PMID: 37513271 PMCID: PMC10383859 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28145399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Sustainable alternatives to conventional fuels have emerged recently, focusing on a hydrogen-based economy. The idea of using hydrogen (H2) as an energy carrier is very promising due to its zero-emission properties. The present study investigates the formic acid (FA) decomposition for H2 generation using a commercial 5 wt.% Pd/C catalyst. Three different 2D microreactor configurations (packed bed, single membrane, and double membrane) were studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Parameters such as temperature, porosity, concentration, and flow rate of reactant were investigated. The packed bed configuration resulted in high conversions, but due to catalyst poisoning by carbon monoxide (CO), the catalytic activity decreased with time. For the single and double membrane microreactors, the same trends were observed, but the double membrane microreactor showed superior performance compared with the other configurations. Conversions higher than 80% were achieved, and even though deactivation decreased the conversion after 1 h of reaction, the selective removal of CO from the system with the use of membranes lead to an increase in the conversion afterwards. These results prove that the incorporation of membranes in the system for the separation of CO is improving the efficiency of the microreactor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleana Harkou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, Limassol 3036, Cyprus
| | - Panayiota Adamou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, Limassol 3036, Cyprus
| | - Kyproula Georgiou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, Limassol 3036, Cyprus
| | - Sanaa Hafeez
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E14NS, UK
| | - Sultan M Al-Salem
- Environmental & Life Sciences Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait
| | - Alberto Villa
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Universitá degli Studi di Milano, via Golgi, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - George Manos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WCIE7JE, UK
| | - Nikolaos Dimitratos
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Center for Chemical Catalysis-C3, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Achilleas Constantinou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, Limassol 3036, Cyprus
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Development of Power-to-X Catalytic Processes for CO2 Valorisation: From the Molecular Level to the Reactor Architecture. CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/chemistry4040083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, global climate change is likely the most compelling problem mankind is facing. In this scenario, decarbonisation of the chemical industry is one of the global challenges that the scientific community needs to address in the immediate future. Catalysis and catalytic processes are called to play a decisive role in the transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon future. This critical review analyses the unique advantages of structured reactors (isothermicity, a wide range of residence times availability, complex geometries) with the multifunctional design of efficient catalysts to synthesise chemicals using CO2 and renewable H2 in a Power-to-X (PTX) strategy. Fine-chemistry synthetic methods and advanced in situ/operando techniques are essential to elucidate the changes of the catalysts during the studied reaction, thus gathering fundamental information about the active species and reaction mechanisms. Such information becomes crucial to refine the catalyst’s formulation and boost the reaction’s performance. On the other hand, reactors architecture allows flow pattern and temperature control, the management of strong thermal effects and the incorporation of specifically designed materials as catalytically active phases are expected to significantly contribute to the advance in the valorisation of CO2 in the form of high added-value products. From a general perspective, this paper aims to update the state of the art in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) and PTX concepts with emphasis on processes involving the transformation of CO2 into targeted fuels and platform chemicals, combining innovation from the point of view of both structured reactor design and multifunctional catalysts development.
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Temperature-Dependent Activity of Gold Nanocatalysts Supported on Activated Carbon in Redox Catalytic Reactions: 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Oxidation and 4-Nitrophenol Reduction Comparison. Catalysts 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/catal12030323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, the temperature-dependent activity of Au/AC nanocatalysts in redox catalytic reactions was investigated. To this end, a series of colloidal gold catalysts supported on activated carbon and titania were prepared by the sol immobilization method employing polyvinyl alcohol as a polymeric stabilizer at different hydrolysis degrees. The as-synthesized materials were widely characterized by spectroscopic analysis (XPS, XRD, and ATR-IR) as well as TEM microscopy and DLS/ELS measurements. Furthermore, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) oxidation and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction were chosen to investigate the catalytic activity as a model reaction for biomass valorization and wastewater remediation. In particular, by fitting the hydrolysis degree with the kinetic data, volcano plots were obtained for both reactions, in which the maximum of the curves was represented relative to hydrolysis intermediate values. However, a comparison of the catalytic performance of the sample Au/AC_PVA-99 (hydrolysis degree of the polymer is 99%) in the two reactions showed a different catalytic behavior, probably due to the detachment of polymer derived from the different reaction temperature chosen between the two reactions. For this reason, several tests were carried out to investigate deeper the observed catalytic trend, focusing on studying the effect of the reaction temperature as well as the effect of support (metal–support interaction) by immobilizing Au colloidal nanoparticles on commercial titania. The kinetic data, combined with the characterization carried out on the catalysts, confirmed that changing the reaction conditions, the PVA behavior on the surface of the catalysts, and, therefore, the reaction outcome, is modified.
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Hafeez S, Al-Salem SM, Bansode A, Villa A, Dimitratos N, Manos G, Constantinou A. Computational Investigation of Microreactor Configurations for Hydrogen Production from Formic Acid Decomposition Using a Pd/C Catalyst. Ind Eng Chem Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c04128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sanaa Hafeez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WCIE 7JE, UK
| | - Sultan M. Al-Salem
- Environment & Life Sciences Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box: 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait
| | - Atul Bansode
- Catalysis Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
| | - Alberto Villa
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Universitá degli Studi di Milano, via Golgi, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Nikolaos Dimitratos
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale e dei Materiali, ALMA MATER STUDIORUM Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - George Manos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WCIE 7JE, UK
| | - Achilleas Constantinou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
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Hafeez S, Harkou E, Al-Salem SM, Goula MA, Dimitratos N, Charisiou ND, Villa A, Bansode A, Leeke G, Manos G, Constantinou A. Hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO2) to fuels in microreactors: a review of set-ups and value-added chemicals production. REACT CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d1re00479d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A review of CO2 hydrogenation to fuels and value-added chemicals in microreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaa Hafeez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WCIE 7JE, UK
| | - Eleana Harkou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Sultan M. Al-Salem
- Environment & Life Sciences Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box: 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait
| | - Maria A. Goula
- Laboratory of Alternative Fuels and Environmental Catalysis (LAFEC), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, GR-50100, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Dimitratos
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale e dei Materiali, ALMA MATER STUDIORUM Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Nikolaos D. Charisiou
- Laboratory of Alternative Fuels and Environmental Catalysis (LAFEC), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, GR-50100, Greece
| | - Alberto Villa
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Universitá degli Studi di Milano, via Golgi, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Atul Bansode
- Catalysis Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, Netherlands
| | - Gary Leeke
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - George Manos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WCIE 7JE, UK
| | - Achilleas Constantinou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 57 Corner of Athinon and Anexartisias, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
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Abstract
The Pd/C-catalyzed reactions, including reduction reactions and cross-coupling reactions, play an irreplaceable role in modern organic synthesis. Compared to the homogeneous palladium catalyst system, the heterogeneous Pd/C catalyst system offers an alternative protocol that has particular advantages and applications. Herein, a review on Pd/C-catalyzed reactions is presented. Both the advances in Pd/C-catalyzed methodologies and the application of Pd/C-catalysis in total synthesis are covered in this review.
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Theoretical Investigation of the Deactivation of Ni Supported Catalysts for the Catalytic Deoxygenation of Palm Oil for Green Diesel Production. Catalysts 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/catal11060747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
For the first time, a fully comprehensive heterogeneous computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model has been developed to predict the selective catalytic deoxygenation of palm oil to produce green diesel over an Ni/ZrO2 catalyst. The modelling results were compared to experimental data, and a very good validation was obtained. It was found that for the Ni/ZrO2 catalyst, the paraffin conversion increased with temperature, reaching a maximum value (>95%) at 300 °C. However, temperatures greater than 300 °C resulted in a loss of conversion due to the fact of catalyst deactivation. In addition, at longer times, the model predicted that the catalyst activity would decline faster at temperatures higher than 250 °C. The CFD model was able to predict this deactivation by relating the catalytic activity with the reaction temperature.
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