Carbon dioxide capture and utilization is becoming a key concern for investment in the energy and industrial sector due to ever increasing carbon emissions and growing concerns about climate change. As Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies have advanced in recent years, the concept of CO2 utilization has attracted more interest due to the potential to produce value-added chemicals, such as methane and methanol. The utilization of CO2 to produce methane via the methanation reaction is one potential solution to this challenge. The methane generated can then be used directly as a fuel or it can be converted into higher molecular weight compounds which can be transported or stored in liquid form. Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI), with support from NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards, has developed a novel efficient and compact methanation reactor based on its Microlith® catalytic technology to effectively convert CO2 to CH4. Our approach demonstrated high CO2 conversion and CH4 selectivity (i.e., ≥90% of the thermodynamic equilibrium values) at high space velocity, low operating temperature, and with low H2 requirement. The ability to achieve high CH4 yield was made possible through the use of high-heat-transfer and high-surface-area Microlith catalytic substrates. PCI’s novel approach permits reactor operation under exothermic conditions with efficient heat recuperation for extended catalyst lifetime. A key advantage is the ability of the reactor to sustain its temperature during operation via an efficient heat recuperator, thus eliminating the need for an external heat source and minimizing power usage during steady state operation. Using this CO2 methanation reactor, PCI developed and demonstrated a stand-alone test system for independent performance validation. The CO2 methanation reactor was integrated with balance-of-plant (BOP) components and a control system, allowing an automated, single “push–button” start-up and shutdown. The versatility of the prototype was demonstrated by operating it under H2-rich (H2/CO2 of &gt;4), stoichiometric (ratio of 4), and CO2-rich conditions (ratio of &lt;4) without affecting its ability to meet the equilibrium-predicted CH4 yield. In this presentation, the development of the Microlith-based CO2 methanation reactor and stand-alone test system will be discussed. Additionally, the results from testing at various operating conditions and the results from the 1000-hr durability testing will be presented.

Efficient, small catalytic reactor for CO2 conversion to value-added chemicals

254th National Meeting (2017)

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