Dry Reforming of Methane to Syngas other Subsequent Products

Synthesis Gas, or syngas (Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide) can be used in multiple chemical processes. Utilizing Steam reforming (SRM) of methane (CH4) has been the accepted method to create syngas and utilized industrially. SRM results in the formation of Carbon Dioxide, CO2 (a greenhouse gas) has to be dealt with to minimize the environmental impact. Dry-reforming of methane (DRM) uses CO2 as a feed, instead of a by-product with a better stoichiometric conversion to syngas. Acetic acid, CH3OOH, (the desired product) is very common in chemical processes, with a variety of uses. The accepted method for CH3OOH synthesis uses a Methanol (CH3OH) intermediate. This requires multiple reactors and a gas-liquid shift reaction. Directly converting from syngas to CH3OOH (and other products) allowing the favorable stoichiometric amounts of syngas from DRM to be utilized without involving an additional reactor for the process. The goal of the process was to determine if it was possible to directly convert CH4 and CO2 into syngas through the DRM process and then directly convert it to CH3OOH and other subsequent products for sale. The project focused on what were the necessary items to create this process and would it be economically feasible. Due to the limited amount of literature information on these processes the project's end state was to determine what necessary steps in the research and development phases were needed to create a catalyst with certain properties to make the process technically possible, and economically viable.