Conversion of Captured CO2 to Methane

Conversion of Captured CO2 to Methane

Author: ChemSusChem

Emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere need to be reduced to curb climate change. Carbon capture and utilization could help to achieve this goal. Integrating the capture and conversion of CO2 into a single, combined approach could offer economic and environmental benefits.

David J. Heldebrant, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA, USA, and colleagues have developed such an integrated system, converting captured CO2 to methane using a water-lean, post-combustion solvent, i.e., N-(2-ethoxyethyl)-3-morpholinopropan-1-amine (2-EEMPA). Using 2-EEMPA, the CO2 is first captured, and then the CO2-rich solvent is mixed with H2 and hydrogenated in the presence of a commercial Ru/Al2O3 catalyst.

This process converts > 90 % of CO2 to give hydrocarbons, mostly methane. The integrated process could increase the thermal efficiency and reduce the capital investment needed compared with a standard process. According to the researchers, this highlights the energetic and economic benefits of integrated capture and conversion.


 

 

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