A Study on CO2 Methanation and Steam Methane Reforming over Commercial Ni/Calcium Aluminate Catalysts

Carbon dioxide conversion via reverse water-gas shift reaction: Reactor design

The reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction converts carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) to syngas, which is used to produce various high-added-value chemicals. This process has attracted great interest from researchers as a way of mitigating the potential environmental impacts of this greenhouse gas, with emphasis on global warming. This work aims to model and simulate an industrial catalytic reactor using kinetic data for the RWGS reaction. The simulation was carried out in Aspen Plus® v10. The thermodynamic analysis showed that the appropriate conditions for the reaction are feed molar ratio (H2/CO2) of 0.8:1, 750 °C, and 20 bar. The RWGS process proceeds in a multi-tubular fixed bed reactor with 36.26% CO2 conversion and 96.41% CO selectivity, at residence times in the order of 2.7 s. These results are at near-equilibrium CO2 conversion with higher CO selectivity.

The Route from Green H2 Production through Bioethanol Reforming to CO2 Catalytic Conversion: A Review

Currently, a progressively different approach to the generation of power and the production of fuels for the automotive sector as well as for domestic applications is being taken. As a result, research on the feasibility of applying renewable energy sources to the present energy scenario has been progressively growing, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Following more than one approach, the integration of renewables mainly involves the utilization of biomass-derived raw material and the combination of power generated via clean sources with conventional power generation systems. The aim of this review article is to provide a satisfactory overview of the most recent progress in the catalysis of hydrogen production through sustainable reforming and CO2 utilization. In particular, attention is focused on the route that, starting from bioethanol reforming for H2 production, leads to the use of the produced CO2 for different purposes and by means of different catalytic processes, passing through the water–gas shift stage. The newest approaches reported in the literature are reviewed, showing that it is possible to successfully produce “green” and sustainable hydrogen, which can represent a power storage technology, and its utilization is a strategy for the integration of renewables into the power generation scenario. Moreover, this hydrogen may be used for CO2 catalytic conversion to hydrocarbons, thus giving CO2 added value.

Production of Gasolines and Monocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: From Fossil Raw Materials to Green Processes

The properties and the applications of the main monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, and the three xylene isomers) and the industrial processes for their manufacture from fossil raw materials are summarized. Potential ways for their production from renewable sources with thermo-catalytic processes are described and discussed in detail. The perspectives of the future industrial organic chemistry in relation to the production of high-octane bio-gasolines and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as renewable chemical intermediates are discussed.

Heterogeneous Catalysis in (Bio)Ethanol Conversion to Chemicals and Fuels: Thermodynamics, Catalysis, Reaction Paths, Mechanisms and Product Selectivities

In gas/solid conditions, different chemicals, such as diethylether, ethylene, butadiene, higher hydrocarbons, acetaldehyde, acetone and hydrogen, can be produced from ethanol with heterogeneous catalytic processes. The focus of this paper is the interplay of different reaction paths, which depend on thermodynamic factors as well as on kinetic factors, thus mainly from catalyst functionalities and reaction temperatures. Strategies for selectivity improvements in heterogeneously catalyzed processes converting (bio)ethanol into renewable chemicals and biofuels are also considered.