Following the global trend towards increased energy demand together with requirements for low greenhouse gas emissions, Adaptable Reactors for Resource- and Energy-Efficient Methane Valorisation (ADREM) focused on the development of modular reactors that can upgrade methane‐rich sources to chemicals. Herein we summarise the main findings of the project, excluding in‐depth technical analysis. The ADREM reactors include microwave technology for conversion of methane to benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) and ethylene; plasma for methane to ethylene; plasma dry methane reforming to syngas; and the gas solid vortex reactor (GSVR) for methane to ethylene. Two of the reactors (microwave to BTX and plasma to ethylene) have been tested at technology readiness level 5 (TRL 5). Compared to flaring, all the concepts have a clear environmental benefit, reducing significantly the direct carbon dioxide emissions. Their energy efficiency is still relatively low compared to conventional processes, and the costly and energy-demanding downstream processing should be replaced by scalable energy efficient alternatives. However, considering the changing market conditions with electrification becoming more relevant and the growing need to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the ADREM technologies, utilising mostly electricity to achieve methane conversion, are promising candidates in the field of gas monetisation.
The high gas−solid slip velocity and the resulting intensified heat and mass transfer make gas−solid vortex reactors (GSVR) a promising reactor technology for the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). The short gas residence time and high solid velocity in the GSVR require a highly active catalyst with strong attrition resistance. Conventional Sr/La 2 O 3 catalysts possess sufficient activity; however, these materials lack mechanical strength. In this study, a novel active and mechanically strong catalyst is developed by supporting a conventional Sr/La 2 O 3 OCM catalyst on a porous SiC support. The Sr−La−O/SiC catalyst shows a very high activity for the OCM in a fixed-bed lab-scale reactor. More importantly, the Sr−La−O/SiC catalyst displays high attrition resistance in standardized attrition tests and forms a stable rotating fluidized bed in the GSVR during a hot flow experiment at 946 K for more than 1 h. Shape characterization of the catalyst particles collected from a hot flow experiment suggests friction rather than fragmentation as the dominant attrition mechanism. Finally, the Sr−La−O/SiC catalyst was successfully tested under reactive conditions in the GSVR at 1080 K, showing a methane conversion of around 6% and a C 2 yield of 2% for an estimated space-time of 0.25 kg cat s mol CH 4 −1 .
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.