Inventors: Dr Vladimir Lomonosov & Prof. Emilie Ringe, Materials Science & Metallurgy
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) account for over 90% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, making them driving factors for global warming and consequently for shaping current environmental policies. To meet environmental targets, society needs to concurrently emit less and capture more greenhouse gases.
Dry reforming of methane (DRM), where CO2 and CH4 are converted into H2 and CO (syngas), is a commercially attractive way to produce syngas from abundant feedstocks including industrial and agricultural waste while capturing harmful greenhouse gases. Additionally, DRM process offers an alternative pathway for utilization of renewable biogas (naturally produced mixture of CO2 and CH4) which is currently used for energy generation via combustion and requires preliminary removal of CO2. Syngas produced via DRM can be used feedstock industrial production of methanol and other hydrocarbon chemicals. However, conventional DRM relies on thermally-driven catalysis and suffer from high energy requirements. This makes the process expensive and environmentally unsustainable.
The inventors have developed a sunlight-assisted approach which greatly reduces the energy requirements of the DRM process. This is done by using IP-protected photoactive magnesium-based nanoparticles to catalyse the reaction and reduce the temperatures needed.
The inventors are interested in understanding the available markets for their syngas product and how to best take this invention forward. They are also interested in whether there is an advantage in being able to use biogas as their input.