Collaboration Opportunity: Cost-effective transition metal oxide catalysts for tunable syngas production

Opportunity:

NETL is seeking collaboration to further develop and commercialize materials suitable for dry reforming, bi-reforming and steam reforming applications to convert mixtures of CO2, natural gas and water into tunable syngas compositions. 

Background:

Typical methods for producing specialty chemicals and synthetic fuels rely on steam reforming to supply required CO and H2 chemical building blocks (i.e. syngas).  The dry reforming process is an additional syngas production route that can utilize a wider range of chemical inputs, such as biogas, landfill gas, captured CO2, or CO2-rich natural gas reserves, but high reaction temperatures and catalyst instability have limited commercial development.  As such, there is a need for precious-metal free catalyst materials and processes that can sustain high conversion rates and product selectivity while resisting deactivation.

Description:

NETL researchers developed a class of catalyst materials suitable for dry reforming, bi-reforming and steam reforming applications under liter-per-minute scale gas flows. The catalyst can produce tunable syngas ratios and be structured into form factors to suit the user’s specific reactor type, process conditions, and target product. The catalyst is a precious-metal free transition metal oxide that has been successfully synthesized at the 10 kg scale using solid-state thermal methods. Dry reforming demonstrations show CO and H2 production with energy efficiency superior to electrolytic methods and minimal coke formation. Steam reforming demonstrations show H2 production with energy efficiencies surpassing state-of-the-art industrial reforming. Bi-reforming also allows full access to syngas compositions between 1-3 H2:CO so the user can target a wide slate of final products. The material characteristics of the catalyst allow it to be used in conventional thermal reactors or next-generation reactors that use microwaves to directly heat the catalyst bed. If necessary, the catalyst is easily regenerated by calcining in air.  

Advantages/Benefits: 

• High thermal stability, low coke formation, and easy regeneration.
• Flexible production of syngas chemical building block compositions.
• Drop-in replacement feedstock for existing applications.
• Expands access to domestic feedstocks.

Potential Applications: 

• Industrial and specialty chemicals production.
• Synthetic aviation and transportation fuels.

Development Status: 

Current stage of technology development: TRL ☐ 0-2     ☒ 3-5     ☐ 5-9

NETL has received patent protection on this invention: US11981565B2 (https://patents.google.com/patent/US11981565B2/).

NETL is seeking industry partners with ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our partners gain a competitive edge in the marketplace through licensing and/or cooperative research and development collaborations. Interested parties can discuss this opportunity under non-disclosure agreements to protect company proprietary information. 

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Entities interested in developing technologies for manufacturing graphite should provide an electronic or written statement of interest, which includes the following:

1. Company Name and Address
2. The name, address and telephone number of a point of contact
3. A description of the relevant expertise and/or facilities

Please provide a complete statement to ensure consideration of your interest in this opportunity.

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