Abstract
Solid oxide fuel cells can operate with carbonaceous fuels, such as syngas, biogas, and methane, using either internal or external reforming, and they represent a more efficient alternative to internal combustion engines. In this work, we explore, for the first time, an alumina membrane containing straight, highly packed (461,289 cpsi), parallel channels of a few micrometers (21 µm) in diameter as a microreformer. As a model reaction to test the performance of this membrane, the dry reforming of methane was carried out using nickel metal and a composite nickel/ceria as catalysts. The samples with intact microchannels were more resistant to carbon deposition than those with a powdered sample, highlighting the deactivation mitigation effect of the microchannel structure. The coke content in the microchannel membrane was one order of magnitude lower than in the powder catalyst. Overall, this work is a proof of concept on the use of composite alumina membrane as microchannel reactors for high temperature reactions.
Highlights
Carbon dioxide abatement is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century, and decarbonizing the transport sector is a priority for many governments
Aiming to further lower CO2 emissions, special attention has been brought to the dry reforming of methane reaction (DRM) (Equation (1))
The microchannel reactor was coated with a thin layer of nanosized gadolinium-doped ceria and impregnated with Ni
Summary
Carbon dioxide abatement is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century, and decarbonizing the transport sector is a priority for many governments. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) represent a clean alternative to combustion engines, as they increase the efficiency energy usage of carbon fuels, they may need external reforming. Aiming to further lower CO2 emissions, special attention has been brought to the dry reforming of methane reaction (DRM) (Equation (1)). This reaction has the advantage of utilizing both carbon dioxide and methane, two of the most abundant greenhouse gases. Along with the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS) (Equation (2)), which is often a competing reaction, DRM has the potential to produce syngas, and feed a SOFC. Due to the endothermic nature of these reactions, and the high stability of carbon dioxide, high reaction temperatures and a stable catalyst are required to achieve high syngas yields
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