Abstract
CO2 methanation has recently emerged as a process that targets the reduction in anthropogenic CO2 emissions, via the conversion of CO2 captured from point and mobile sources, as well as H2 produced from renewables into CH4. Ni, among the early transition metals, as well as Ru and Rh, among the noble metals, have been known to be among the most active methanation catalysts, with Ni being favoured due to its low cost and high natural abundance. However, insufficient low-temperature activity, low dispersion and reducibility, as well as nanoparticle sintering are some of the main drawbacks when using Ni-based catalysts. Such problems can be partly overcome via the introduction of a second transition metal (e.g., Fe, Co) or a noble metal (e.g., Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd and Re) in Ni-based catalysts. Through Ni-M alloy formation, or the intricate synergy between two adjacent metallic phases, new high-performing and low-cost methanation catalysts can be obtained. This review summarizes and critically discusses recent progress made in the field of bimetallic Ni-M (M = Fe, Co, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Re)-based catalyst development for the CO2 methanation reaction.
Highlights
During the last hundred years, rapid industrialization and the high energy demands of our society have disrupted the carbon cycle through ever increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and the ramp-up of renewable energy production has yet to offset the negative effects on our planet’s climate and ecosystems [1,2]
The race for the development of low-cost and high-performing CO2 methanation catalysts stems from the need to efficiently convert excess electricity and H2 generated from renewables, as well as CO2 captured from flue gases, into a reliable energy carrier
Ni is the standard option to be used in CO2 methanation catalysts, due to its high activity and low cost
Summary
During the last hundred years, rapid industrialization and the high energy demands of our society have disrupted the carbon cycle through ever increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and the ramp-up of renewable energy production has yet to offset the negative effects on our planet’s climate and ecosystems [1,2]. Research efforts have been focused on the development of catalysts that can utilize this excess renewable hydrogen in order to hydrogenate CO2 released from industrial flue gases This way, H2 can be transformed into a reliable energy carrier, that is, CH4 or synthetic natural gas (SNG), with a significantly higher energy density, all the while creating a closed carbon cycle [5]. Since CH4 yield peaks at a relatively low temperature (300–400 ◦ C, depending on the reaction conditions) [7], structural degradation of Ni-based catalysts, though not completely avoided, plays a minor role compared to other reactions Since CH4 yield peaks at a relatively low temperature (300–400 °C, depending on the reaction conditions) [7], structural degradation of Ni-based catalysts, though not completely avoided, plays a minor role compared to other reactions (e.g., methane dry reforming) [8].
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