Catalytic PRB Coal-CO2 Gasification for Fuels and Chemicals with Two Different Types of Syngas and Negative or Low CO2 Emissions

The University of Wyoming will develop a new catalytic, low-cost, negative or low-carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission gasification technology utilizing Wyoming resources including Powder River Basin (PRB) subbituminous coal, and catalysts for production of zero or near-zero methane (CH₄) syngas needed for production of fuels and value-added chemicals. The research will occur at the lab scale, and the catalytic pyrolysis and catalytic gasification behavior will be investigated and analyzed. The work will be divided into two phases. The phase one objectives are catalyst preparation, characterization, and performance assessment. The phase two objective is the kinetic and mechanistic study of gasification reactions.

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Coal conversion occurs more quickly in the presence of a catalyst

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Catalytic PRB Coal/CO2 Gasification for Fuels and Chemicals with Two Different Types of Syngas and Negative or Low CO2 Emissions
Poster at the Project Review Meeting for Crosscutting Research, Gasification Systems, and Rare Earth Elements Research Portfolios, March 20-23, 2017.
Coal to Desired Fuels and Chemicals
Presentation at the Gasification Systems and Coal & Coal-Biomass to Liquids Workshop, August 10-11, 2015

Principal Investigator

Maohong Fan

mfan@uwyo.edu

Project Benefits

The University of Wyoming will use a new inexpensive composite catalyst prepared from widely available Wyoming Trona and Siderite minerals to reduce the CH₄ in syngas by 30 percent and CO₂ by 50 percent. Hydrogen will increase by at least 20 percent. Low-CH₄ gas from catalytic pyrolysis can be used for liquid fuel and chemical syntheses without the need of a water gas shift reaction. This research will help the nation accelerate coal to liquids and polygeneration technology commercialization.

Project ID

FE0023999

Website

University of Wyoming

http://www.uwyo.edu/