Abstract: Large scale integration of renewable wind and solar energy into the electrical grid is challenged due to volatility of power supply. Power-to-Gas (P2G) process is a perspective approach to renewable energy storage in chemical media. The first step of P2G process is hydrogen generation through electrolysis of water using renewable electrical energy. Considering safety issues regarding hydrogen transportation and storage, it is reasonable to use it on site for methane production via catalytic Sabatier reaction: CO2 + 4H2® CH4 + 2H2O. Incorporation of the Direct Air Capture (DAC) unit with into P2G system offers an opportunity to use atmospheric CO2 as a sustainable feedstock to produce renewable fuel, which can be used for numerous industrial applications. The novel process, combining direct CO2 capture from ambient air using K2CO3/Al2O3 composite sorbent [1-3] and CO2 methanation via Sabatier reaction in the presence of the 4% Ru/Al2O3 catalyst, has been performed in a cyclic mode. The thermal regeneration of the composite sorbent in these cycles has been carried out in H2 atmosphere at T = 325oC with the gas flow going straight from the adsorber outlet to the preheated catalytic reactor. Performance of the ruthenium catalyst in CO2 methanation process has improved upon cycling, apparently due to in situ activation of the supported component. It has been demonstrated that the use of the activated catalyst makes it possible to transform the desorbed carbon dioxide to methane with conversion >98% at T = 325-400oC

Cite: Veselovskaya J.V. , Parunin P.D. , Netskina O.V. , Okunev A.G.
A New Approach to Renewable Methane Production: Combining Direct Air Capture and Sabatier Reaction
2nd International Conference on Catalysis and Chemical Engineering 19-21 Feb 2018