TPU researchers synthesized a new catalyst to process greenhouse gases into synthesis gas

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TPU researchers synthesized a new catalyst to process greenhouse gases into synthesis gas

TPU researchers together with their colleagues have synthesized a new catalyst to process carbon dioxide and methane into synthesis gas, a valuable raw material for the chemical industry. The combined nickel- and tungsten carbide-based material showed higher activity and stability in the reaction compared to existing analogues. The project is implemented with the support of Priority 2030 program of the Ministry of Education and Science of the national Youth and Children project.

The research results have been published in the journal Materials (Q2, IF:3.1).

The researchers have synthesized a catalyst based on nickel and tungsten carbide, which makes it possible to maintain high reagent conversion rates and high yield of the reaction product over a long period during the carbon dioxide methane conversion (CDMC). CDMC is a promising method to process greenhouse gases into synthesis gas, a raw material for the production of methanol, dimethyl ether, and liquid hydrocarbons.

"The technology of carbon dioxide methane conversion allows to simultaneously solve two tasks: to obtain valuable raw material and to recycle carbon dioxide and methane. At the same time, the main problem with the development and implementation of the CDMC technology is the lack of a catalyst that would be efficient and stable at high temperatures," says Svetlana Kuznetsova, joint author of the study, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and Molecular Design.

To date, precious metals of the platinum group exhibit the highest catalytic activity and are significantly less susceptible to coking, providing the required stability under reaction conditions. However, their high cost and limited availability make it impractical to use them in large-scale industrial production. There is a need to develop alternative materials.

"We have synthesized a catalyst that combines highly active and inexpensive nickel with stable tungsten carbide compound. The synergistic effect of the components made it possible to obtain a material with higher activity and resistance to oxidation and formation of carbonaceous deposits during the CDMC process than traditional nickel- and cobalt-containing catalysts on oxide carriers and individual tungsten and molybdenum carbides," notes Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Complex characteristic of the obtained material was made using X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmable reduction with hydrogen, and Raman spectroscopy. Catalytic tests at 800 °C and atmospheric pressure have shown that nickel content of 20% by weight provides an optimal balance of activity and stability.

"For the first time, it was possible to achieve effective suppression of coking to about 1% in 200 hours of continuous CDMC process by simultaneously optimizing catalyst composition and the composition of the supplied gas mixture," notes Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Further work of the researchers will be aimed at optimizing the catalyst so that the ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the synthesis gas is approximately one to one. This will allow using the resulting raw material directly in the synthesis of dimethyl ether.