Development of Nanostructured Catalysts for Efficient Syngas Production from Dry Reforming of Methane

Zhou, Rufan

Development of Nanostructured Catalysts for Efficient Syngas Production from Dry Reforming of Methane

dc.contributor.advisor	Mahinpey, Nader
dc.contributor.advisor	Lu, Qingye
dc.contributor.author	Zhou, Rufan
dc.contributor.committeemember	Hu, Jinguang
dc.contributor.committeemember	Ponnurangam, Sathish
dc.contributor.committeemember	Nassar, Nashaat
dc.contributor.committeemember	Xu, Chunbao (Charles)
dc.date	2024-02
dc.date.accessioned	2023-11-16T16:24:28Z
dc.date.available	2023-11-16T16:24:28Z
dc.date.issued	2023-11-10
dc.description.abstract	Converting greenhouse gases (CHGs) (carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)) into valuable products is an essential way to eliminate the negative impacts of global warming. The catalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM) by CO2 offers a viable route for the efficient utilization of these two potent GHGs to produce syngas (CO and H2) as a valuable fuel and chemical feedstock. Nickel (Ni)-based catalysts have been widely used in DRM reactions because of their relatively high reactivity as transition metals and low production costs. However, these catalysts suffer from unideal reactivity at low operating temperatures, unideal thermal stability with Ni sintering and resulted in severe coke formation on the catalyst surface leading to rapid deactivation. Hence, the main objective of this study is to design and develop a stable and robust catalyst with improved DRM reactivity and low tendency for deactivation. In this doctoral study, the design of different catalysts with excellent activity and high stability for the DRM process will be studied. To achieve excellent catalytic activity and stability, different catalyst fabrication strategies with relatively facile synthesis approaches will be employed, such as the effect of active metal loadings, catalyst structures, distinguished support materials and the addition of promoters have been evaluated in this study. Meanwhile, several characterization techniques have been used to thoroughly understand the physicochemical and structural properties of the developed catalysts to develop a structure-property relationship. Moreover, the recent status of catalyst development is discussed and compared with that of the catalyst developed in our study. Process simulations based on the catalytic DRM process were also evaluated and analyzed in this study to further guide the development of the DRM process and help achieve its commercialization in the future.
dc.identifier.citation	Zhou, R. (2023). Development of nanostructured catalysts for efficient syngas production from dry reforming of methane (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117562
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	Carbon capture and conversion
dc.subject	Dry reforming of methane
dc.subject	Heterogeneous catalyst
dc.subject	Catalytic reaction
dc.subject.classification	Engineering--Chemical
dc.title	Development of Nanostructured Catalysts for Efficient Syngas Production from Dry Reforming of Methane
dc.type	doctoral thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Engineering – Chemical & Petroleum
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.