(Project concluded on November 30, 2020)
The high H:C ratio and the absence of heteroatoms make natural gas an attractive feedstock for synthetic fuels and chemicals that can replace those typically petroleum-derived. The search for efficient routes, direct and indirect, to convert methane to other higher value-added products is a challenge for the scientific community. Additionally, the new fields of oil and gas located in the pre-salt basin of the Brazilian coast contain associated CO2 (8-18%) and, in some specific fields, the associated gas encloses higher CO2 content (79%). Thus, the aim of this project is to use CH4 and CO2 as raw materials (chemistry of C1) to produce synthesis gas (H2 + CO), including catalyst development, proof of concept and technological applications, design and optimization of processes. This project will develop a process called methane tri-reforming, in which water, CO2 and O2 are used to produce synthesis gas with H2/CO ratio suitable for synthesis of fuels.
TEAM
Rita Maria de Brito Alves (POLI-USP)
Project Coordinators
Claudio A O do Nascimento (POLI-USP)
José Mansur Assaf (EQUFSCar)
Elisabete Moreira Assaf (IQSC-USP)
Ananda Paladino Lino
Chayene Gonçalves Anchieta
Vivian Vazquez Thyssen
Partners
Martin Schmal
COPPE – UFRJ; Imperial College London