Electrifying the dry reforming of methane. Shall we target the chemistry or the heat supply?

Abstract

The principles of sustainable development require decarbonization of the chemical sector. An example of the implementation of this strategy is electrification of the Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM). In this work, five electricity-based DRM technologies targeting the chemistry (photocatalysis and plasma) and the heat supply (microwaves, Joule heating and induction heating) are analyzed and compared. The following issues are discussed for all technologies: feasibility of large-scale reactor design and operation, reactants conversion and syngas production rates, energy consumption/efficiency, coking, process economy and safety. On the short term, the Joule heating appears to be the most promising of the five technologies reviewed, due to its relative simplicity, high methane conversions and high electricity-to-heat efficiency.