In-situ Methanation of Carbon Dioxide Fixed in the Pores of the Adsorbent Material

The methanation of carbon dioxide via its reaction with hydrogen has recently become a widely studied topic. This process is typically investigated in a flow system with a catalyst placed in a catalytic reactor through which a mixture of reactant gases (carbon dioxide and hydrogen) flows. In contrast, this study investigates a batch reactor concept, where carbon dioxide is adsorbed within the porous structure of the catalyst and hydrogen is subsequently introduced. The novelty of this research lies in the technological arrangement of the process, in which a single material simultaneously acts as both adsorbent and catalyst within one reactor, enabling alternating CO2 adsorption and its subsequent methanation. The central component is therefore an adsorbent for carbon dioxide capture that also serves as a catalyst for its conversion into methane. A system based on this principle can therefore be used both for capturing carbon dioxide from various gas mixtures with recovery in purified form and for its conversion into synthetic methane, provided a sufficient supply of hydrogen is available. This research confirms that the investigated single-reactor methanation approach using one material that functions both as adsorbent and catalyst is fully operational and suitable for further testing at the pilot scale.